


Conjecture

by andrhars



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Investigations, M/M, Misunderstandings and suspicions, Self-Indulgent, Wild speculation about Sheikah culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24089500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrhars/pseuds/andrhars
Summary: Sheik never thought he'd have to worry about Hyrule finding his people in their mountain villages.Never thought he'd have to worry about them coming to finish the job they'd started.That is, until a pair of Hylian brothers walked through their gates, charming everyone.But not Sheik. He'll discover their true purpose, no matter what!
Relationships: Link/Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

Time.

What a mess.

It's hard enough to quantify when you only have to take a single instance into account. There is a point A, and a point B. To get from A to B, you draw a line.

Simple? If only.

Because there isn't a single line. There are infinite lines, and which line you end up on entirely depends on your actions and the actions of everyone around you. Sometimes, it's not even about the specific action, but the timing of said action. Wait an extra split second, and everything ahead in your line changes compared to the one where you didn't.

The only source of comfort in this mess is the fact that there is no way to hop between these lines. You are confined to your timeline and can take heart in knowing that there is no way to change any given outcome, either for the better or worse.

You simply accept what happens and move on.

Sheik was very satisfied with this stance, as taught to him by his mother. Mostly because he'd ended up in a timeline where the Sheikah took to their senses after the Hyrulian royal family decided their servants in the shadows were becoming too much of a threat and decided to put down any possible rebellion before it could even take root.

The Sheikah operatives in Castle Town had alerted the clan leader that angry murmurs were happening around the council table, and rather than wait and see or, worse, attempting diplomacy, the clan leader had decided it was time for the Sheikah to move on.

They packed up and left in a single night. By the time the Hylian troops arrived in Kakariko, the once thriving village was a ghost town. All they had left behind was an ancient stone tablet that symbolised the union between Hyrule and the Sheikah.

It had been broken in half.

No one knows how the king of Hyrule reacted. The Sheikah had left their once-allies—and masters—behind forever.

They retreated deep into the mountains, far away from any who would threaten or wish harm upon them. To increase security, the clan was split into several smaller tribes, each building villages where they found most comfort and safety, never gathering all their numbers in one place.

And so, the Sheikah lived and thrived in their new home.

Sheik didn't dare imagine what would've happened if they had stayed in Hyrule. He didn't bother engaging in the mental gymnastics that was the theory of time, or even imagining scenarios.

Because he was in the best timeline. Why would he need to imagine another?

And he didn't have to.

At least, not until the day a pair of Hylian brothers wandered into his village, requesting asylum.

Time.

What a mess.

* * *

The large room was quiet as Sheik watched his mother carefully. She read the paper he had just handed her, red eyes roaming the scrawls. His anticipation grew as she came closer and closer to the bottom of the paper, and the sums written there.

"Wrong," Impa declared, handing him the paper back.

"What?!" he exclaimed, glaring at her. "No! I did everything right!"

"My son," Impa said, "your total is so off it's not even _within_ the worst- or best-case scenarios. I'm honestly quite baffled as to how you managed to reach these numbers. It's like you have warped the equations somehow to break the laws of mathematics."

Next to him, Paya giggled a little as she handed Impa her own sheet.

"Just keep laughing," Sheik warned her. "I bet yours is just as bad."

"These are all correct," Impa declared a moment later. "Well done, Paya."

"Thank you, mother," Paya said, giving Sheik a smug look. "It's easy once you learn how to the equations properly."

Sheik huffed, turning away from them and glaring at the wooden wall of Impa's house, shifting on his pillow.

"So what? I'm a warrior! I don't need maths anyway!"

"What about all the calculations you do subconsciously when fighting?" Paya asked. "Angles, momentum, leverage, aim? That's all maths, Sheik."

Sheik huffed again. Her words made sense, but all he thought when fighting was _stab stab stab_.

Impa cleared her throat. "Perhaps, Sheik, we should take another look at the equations? If we go through them together, we might find the correct answer."

Sheik reluctantly turned back to face his mother, ignoring Paya's bright smile. "Fine," he muttered, preparing himself for another lecture.

Mostly because saying no to Impa was akin to signing one's own death sentence. He loved her, he really did, but damned if his mother wasn't one of the scariest people he'd ever met. He'd seen big, bad-looking men almost reduced to tears by a woman half their size, sometimes because of her stare alone. Never mind that she could easily do terrible, terrible things to their anatomies if they decided to get physical.

Sheik had been on the receiving end of it before, during training. And she'd been going _easy_ on him and Paya both, those times.

So yes, he didn't dare say no when his mother was about to lecture him on economics, because he valued his bones, thank you very much!

However, it was interrupted when a ruckus was raised outside. It grew in volume, clearly spreading from the village entrance, all the way to Impa's house at the other end. Footsteps rapidly approached the sliding door, whereupon the newcomer hesitated, catching their breath before knocking rapidly on the frame.

"Impa-sama!"

Impa, who'd tensed in her seat, relaxed slightly upon hearing the voice of Dorian, and released her grip on the tanto strapped to her back.

"Enter," she called out. The sh **ō** ji slid open, revealing Dorian in a kneeling position, his face flushed and sweaty. "What is it, Dorian?"

"Intruders at the main gate," he said, panting slightly. "I ran here as soon as I was told."

Impa stood up, eyes narrowing. "Intruders? Who?"

"Hylians, Impa-sama," Dorian said, grimacing. "Two of them."

Sheik tensed. Hylians. The Sheikah's former oppressors. His fists clenched in the fabric of his trousers. Was this it? Had Hyrule finally tracked them down and sent soldiers to kill them all?

He was ready. He'd show them why making an enemy of the Sheikah was a _bad_ idea.

"Two?" Impa asked. "Messengers? Soldiers?"

Dorian hesitated. "Er...children? One of them, at least. Maybe ten or eleven years old? The other is older, but barely out of his teens, if that." He cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed now. "The older one is requesting an audience."

"I see," Impa said, face blank as she considered it. "Did he say what he wishes to speak to me about?"

"He said it was for your ears only," Dorian replied.

Nodding, Impa took another moment to think. Then, she said, "Very well. Escort them here, please. Make sure they are unarmed."

"As you wish," Dorian said, bowing his head to Impa, then to Sheik and Paya. The door slid shut, leaving the three of them alone in the large room once more.

"Well, this is an interesting development," Impa said, looking at her heirs. "What do you two make of this?"

"Assassins," Sheik said immediately. "No doubt about it."

"Children," Paya pointed out. "Unless I'm mistaken, Hylians generally don't resort to sending kids into battle. If they're assassins, they're also not very good ones by showing themselves in the open."

"The nearest Hylian settlement is two weeks away by horse," Sheik said. "There are at least three Sheikah villages between ours and them. These intruders somehow snuck past three villages, including our _own_ defensive line and sentries? They don't need to hide if they're that good."

"They could be wanderers who simply stumbled across us," Paya said, glaring at him.

Sheik glared back. "One hell of a coincidence for them to stumble past the defensive line without being spotted."

"Coincidences happen, Sheik."

"And so do assassinations, Paya."

"Thank you," Impa said, nodding. "Your opinions have been noted. You are dismissed."

They both turned to their mother, eyes widening.

"What?"

"What?!"

Impa sighed. "Whatever message they carry is for my ears only. That means, surprisingly, not for yours as well."

"But...what if it _is_ an assassination attempt?" Paya asked, pointedly ignoring the triumphant look Sheik shot her. "Surely at least one of us should remain, just in case?"

"I am more than capable of defending myself, Paya," Impa said calmly. "And I will have Dorian stand guard outside the door, just in case. If something should happen, he will be at my side in seconds."

"We can hide upstairs," Sheik suggested. "Out of sight—"

"But not out of earshot," Impa interrupted. "I intend to honour the request of these messengers. They might be diplomatic envoys from one of the Hylian settlements, who sent us their young as a show of faith. It would not do to breach that trust by having someone eavesdropping on the conversation."

Her heirs stared at her, unconvinced. She sighed.

"Rest assured, if it is indeed of importance, relevance, and in your best interest to know, I will share the details of the message with you." She looked as footsteps approached the house again, shoes thumping against wood. "Move along, now. Tell Pikango your art lesson has been moved forward. I'm certain he'll appreciate the extra time to impart upon you our people's artistic history."

There really was no arguing, and the two of them glowered as they stood and left the house through the side entrance.

They did not go to Pikango. Instead, they lingered in the bushes outside Impa's house, hoping to catch a glimpse of these would-be assassins. They failed. Sheikah guards were tightly clustered around them as they were escorted into Impa's home, the doors and windows shut, and guards posted around it to prevent any eavesdroppers.

"Right," Sheik said, looking at his sister. "I'll go to Ren; you go to Mana. One of them _must_ have seen something."

"Agreed," Paya said, nodding firmly. "I'll check in with Kiro as well. He might have been on gate duty."

"Right, meet back here in half an hour?"

They shook hands in agreement and turned to split off...and ran right into Pikango. Their art teacher did not look amused.

"I had a feeling I'd find the pair of you here," he said, arms crossed. "What would Impa-sama say, I wonder, if I told her that her own children were spying on her, disobeying her orders?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious?" Paya asked.

"Of course I am," the art teacher said, seizing them by their shoulders and firmly guiding them out of the bushes and towards his house. "But I also know the value of patience, something you two little terrors clearly aren't acquainted with. Come along now, we have art to create!"

Their groans echoed across the village.

* * *

Pikango, sadist as he was, said he wouldn't let them go until they had finished at least three sketches each. Landscape ones. The kind Sheik couldn't stand drawing because they were _so boring_. There was nothing dynamic about them, just bits of rocks, trees, sky and clouds...all of it painfully static. By the time he started the third sketch, he was rearing to go both because the dullness of it all was going to kill him...and because his mother might still be in close quarters to Hylian assassins.

It didn't stop him from adding a few personal touches to his final landscape because Paya, perfectionist as ever, insisted on making her sketch the best sketch ever, apparently. And Sheik couldn't imagine anything that would make a landscape more exciting than, say, a group of Sheikah operatives rappelling down the cliff side, about to ambush a group of armoured soldiers below of unidentified origins. They definitely didn't have a Triforce sigil on their surcoats.

"Hm, very good, Sheik," Pikango said. "You've captured some very interesting rock formations here...and is that a group of operatives about to descend upon some poor hapless soldiers?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sheik said, trying to hide his unauthorised addition with his elbow. "If anything, they're about to offer medical aid to wounded hikers."

"With eightfold blades?"

"Some wounds might need to be lanced!"

" _With eightfold blades?!_ "

"Why are you repeating yourself, Pikango-sensei?"

Pikango stared at him for a long moment, and Sheik could see the internal debate happening in his teacher's head. Had this been any other day, Sheik knew he wouldn't get away with it, but he also knew for a fact that Pikango must have been just as curious (and, hopefully, suspicious) about the new arrivals to the village as him and Paya, and was very keen on getting out of this disastrous art lesson.

"Paya," Pikango said carefully, "how far along are you with the last sketch?"

"Almost done, sensei," Paya said. "I just need to shade it."

Sheik fought down a groan. Of _course_ the new arrivals didn't deter his sister from being annoyingly neat with her artwork. He supposed they were lucky the lesson of the day wasn't woodcarving or pottery. They wouldn't get out before nightfall in that case.

Pikango quickly hid the grimace that appeared on his face at her answer. Sheik grinned. Excellent.

"Well, perhaps you can finish that later," he suggested.

Paya paused, eyes widening but not turning away from her sketch. "Sensei," she said slowly, "surely you are not suggesting that I should not finish something I have started?"

Sheik's grin grew wider when Pikango realised he'd been caught in one of his own lessons, his words biting him in the arse.

"Yes, well," he said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Given recent events, perhaps we can let artwork simply be artwork and end the lesson? Just for today, mind you. I'm sure you're just as keen as your brother to find out more about our visitors."

Paya sighed deeply and very theatrically. "I suppose I can finish this on my own later, sensei. I just hope it doesn't impact my artistic growth negatively." She sighed again, looking at her sketch. "And this was going to be my masterpiece..."

Pikango sighed, muttering under his breath to Sheik, "She really knows how to twist the knife, doesn't she?"

"She's the master," Sheik whispered back.

"I also have excellent hearing," Paya said.

They both gulped.

"Right!" Pikango exclaimed, clapping his hands, "why don't you two run along, and I'll take care of these sketches until the next lesson!"

"Why don't you just come along, sensei?" Sheik asked. "You're just as rearing to go as we are."

To his credit, Pikango tried to pretend to not be interested. But the mask of indifference he put on only lasted for about five seconds before it cracked, and he nodded at the door.

"Let's go!"

All three moved as one, stumbling over each other in a bid to be first through the door. Someone fell. Sheik was not too ashamed to admit he stepped on them. It got him out the door first, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Given their general reclusive nature, as well as extensive training in the arts of information gathering, spying, and assassination, in which they were instructed from the moment they could walk, Sheikah were notoriously bad at concealing their curiosity when it came to events taking place within their own territory.

As such, a crowd consisting of pretty much every person in the village had gathered outside Impa's home, trying (and failing) to look like they weren't there just to catch a glimpse of whoever had managed to sneak past their defences and then just politely asked to speak to their chief.

"Did you hear?" someone said. "Apparently, they're just kids. Two little Hylian boys!"

Someone snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. They're princes, I bet. Sent here as an offering to Din."

"Hah, they're about three centuries too late then."

"Wait, we made mortal sacrifices?"

"I _told_ you to pay attention in history lessons!"

"Besides, they're not princes," someone interrupted. "Hell, they're not even Hylians! I saw them, and they were clearly Zora!"

There were some murmured agreements, but someone else laughed loudly. "Why would Zora come this high up the mountains? And how would two of them sneak past all our sentries? They're not exactly graceful on land!"

"Because they're not Zora," a fourth gossip joined in, sounding very smug. "One of them isn't, at least. I caught a glimpse of the small one, and they were clearly a Goron child."

The first gossip, who turned out to be one of the blacksmiths, laughed. "You couldn't tell a Goron from a rock, you blind fool!"

"What did you say?!"

Another thing outsiders generally don't learn about Sheikah is that they have very short tempers when gathered in large groups...such as this. As a result, no one was surprised when the fourth gossip, who was a miller, decided this insult was too much to take, and punched the blacksmith in the face. She returned the punch with gusto.

And so, the first mass fight of the week began. It didn't take long for the guards to show up with their shinais, bonking the worst agitators on the head a few times to separate them, quickly restoring the peace within minutes.

It was all routine at this point.

The Sheikah were a very psychical people who rarely got to use their skills these days. They needed _some_ sort of outlet. Generally, that meant fighting each other over the smallest of issues.

All in good fun, of course.

"Will you lot shut up?!" Dorian shouted from his position by the door to Impa's house, his bearded cheeks quivering, looking like he wanted nothing more than to grab one of the guards' shinai and start hitting everyone indiscriminately until they stopped acting like children. "Can we at least _pretend_ to have a modicum of dignity and respect?!"

Sheik couldn't resist. "No?" he called out.

Everyone laughed. Even Paya had to hide her smile in her high collar. Dorian rubbed his eyes tiredly, but suddenly straightened up, standing up straight and falling silent. This had a ripple effect on the crowd, the members of which also stood up straight and at attention, falling silent immediately.

The door slid open, revealing Impa herself.

The tribe's matriarch cut an intimidating figure, even dressed in what Sheik and Paya had come to call her casual outfit, which consisted of a loose-fitting, comfortable dark blue kimono with red Sheikah eyes embroidered into the fabric, with a haori in a lighter shade of blue worn on top of it.

Her silver hair was tied back in a loose bun save for a single lock, which she had tied and weighed down with beads to frame one side of her face. The hair alone made her look severe, but combined with the bright red tattoo around her left eye, she could be downright terrifying. When her left eye was closed, the tattoo looked like a fierce war wound, made to look like a stylised eye, with red triangles made to resemble eyelashes, and a long, triangular line cutting vertically down across her eyelid.

When opened, however, it was as if Impa's eye turned into that of Din herself, judging you and your every action. It could be a terrifying sight even when the matriarch _wasn't_ angry.

When said gaze landed directly on Sheik, however, in the middle of the crowd, he _did_ feel a rather sizeable twinge of fear in his gut. He hated that it was so easy to pick out his blonde head in a crowd of mostly silver and white ones.

"Ah, you're all here, good," Impa said, clearly not surprised by the entire village showing up on her doorstep. It certainly wasn't the first time. "Sheik, Paya, please come inside. There is someone I'd like you to meet."

She waited in the doorway until her heirs were a few feet away before adding, "Oh, and leave your weapons outside, please. This is, for the moment, a diplomatic meeting."

Sheik and Paya looked at each other, their anticipation growing. They removed the holstered tantos from their belts and left them with Dorian and made to enter the house. Paya go through without trouble, but Impa's hand snatched Sheik's wrist as he passed her. She rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mechanical contraption attached to his wrist.

"That means this thing as well, Sheik," she said, glaring distastefully at the concealed weapon. "In fact, you can throw that thing out entirely. You're more liable to kill _yourself_ with it than an actual threat. Of which there are none in my house, I might add."

"You never know," he replied, all the while undoing the complicated belts holding the wrist blade in place. "They're Hylians, right?"

Impa held his gaze. "Remove the blade, son, and come meet our guests."

* * *

The guests, as it turned out, were _not_ of the Zora or Goron persuasion, and Sheik made a note to rub this fact into the faces of those who'd claimed so.

They were, in fact, Hylians. Regular, boring, but undeniably deceitful Hylians. One appeared to be around Sheik's age, while the other was younger, no more than a child, maybe ten or eleven. Or so Sheik assumed. He hadn't met many Hylians and had no idea at what pace they aged.

They were both sitting on pillows on the tatami floor. The elder had managed to seat himself in a bad and stiff imitation of the way Impa had been sitting, legs crossed. Sheik could tell he'd already managed to cut off his own circulation. The younger was simply sitting normally, legs straightened out.

The first thing that struck Sheik when he looked at them sitting side by side, was that they were clearly related. They shared a number of features—almost all of them, in fact—and if he didn't know any better, he'd assume they were twins. Though that'd require them to be aging separately, and that just wasn't biologically possible.

Right?

They were wearing very similar outfits, as well. Green tunic and leather trousers on the elder, green tunic and shorts made of the same fabric for the younger. The younger was also wearing a green cap, which he kept fiddling with.

That was all the observation he had time for, as Impa gestured for him and Paya to sit on either side of her, facing the guests. As he sank effortlessly into a graceful sitting position next to his mother, Sheik noticed that the elder Hylian's eyes—a bright shade of blue—were fastened on him.

The hell was his problem?

"My apologies for the wait," Impa said, bowing her head a little. "It appears the entire village has decided to take an interest in this meeting, and I had to find my children in the chaos. Let me introduce you: This is Paya and Sheik."

Sheik bowed along with Paya. He might be suspicious of these assassins—or at least of the elder one—but he wasn't _rude_. Plus, if he didn't, Impa would smack him upside the head. And so would Paya, later.

There was an awkward silence, during which the elder Hylian kept staring at Sheik. The younger cleared his throat pointedly.

"O-Oh!" the elder sputtered, cheeks reddening. "Nice to meet you," he said. "My name is Link, and this is my little brother—"

"Ravio," the younger finished for him, imitating Sheik and Paya's bows. It took a moment for the elder to catch on, and quickly dipped down as well.

Well, at least they knew to show respect. Sheik doubted his people were bowed to back in Hyrule. Getting spat on was probably more likely.

"I believe it would be best to introduce the four of you before I went to make my announcement," Impa continued. "Sheik, Paya, I have offered young Link and Ravio shelter in our village for the time being."

Sheik's jaw dropped. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Why?!"

Paya, traitorous as ever, didn't join him in his outrage, but she too was just as curious as to why their mother was offering these two intruders room and board rather than throwing them right out.

"Their circumstances are rather...unique," Impa said, only hesitating a little in her choice of words.

That rarely happened, if ever. Impa was never the type to speak without first carefully considering what to say. That made Sheik even more suspicious. Were they blackmailing her, somehow? Forcing her to offer them shelter against her will? How dare they?

"They have explained their situation to me in thorough detail," Impa continued, cutting Sheik off before he could protest. "And I would be remiss if I were to not offer them sanctuary. It would be a stain on my—and by extension our clan's—honour, in fact."

"What could possibly—"

"I have made my decision," Impa interrupted, glaring at him. "Please do not question my reasons, Sheik."

The request was worded politely, but there was a warning behind it. One that spoke volumes of the punishment that awaited Sheik if he didn't stop.

"Then I would like to welcome them to our village," Paya said, bowing again. "Link-san, Ravio-san, welcome."

"Thank you," the Hylians replied in unison, pausing a little when they realised they had.

Sheik mumbled a greeting of his own when Impa's gaze challenged him to, his eyes meeting Link's again. Bastard couldn't stop staring at him, apparently. Sheik's mind was already hard at work figuring out why. As well as their supposed _special circumstances_. Clearly something confidential and sensitive if Impa was willing to go to such lengths to conceal them, even offering them sanctuary when most travellers save for merchants were usually turned away.

A thought struck.

Shit, what if they _were_ princes after all? On the run from a relative trying to pull a coup, perhaps? Or perhaps Link had been the one to attempt taking the throne, failing and being forced on the run with his little brother.

Princes in exile.

Huh.

Interesting.

Or, wait.

Not interesting.

Disastrous!

This meant there was possibly an army of Hylians on the way to catch these two runaways.

And if Impa was giving them shelter, the Sheikah would inevitably be dragged into it, and possibly even open war!

What the hell was she thinking?! This was worse than them being assassins! Impa should have turned them away, or better yet, tied them to a pair of horses and sent them down the mountain, back whence they came.

It still left the matter of how they'd managed to sneak past the Sheikah sentries, though...

...unless...

...Impa had known they were coming, and purposefully let them through, only acting surprised in order to keep her involvement hidden?

Din above, this was more complicated than he'd feared!

Eugh, damn it, he needed to pay attention! He could figure out this strange conspiracy later, with Paya. Right now, he had to keep his wits about him, and keep a close eye on these two strangers.

"...that I believe will be quite comfortable for you and your brother," Impa said. "Don't you agree, Sheik?"

"Huh? Oh, right, of course," he recovered masterfully, fooling everyone into believing he actually knew what they were talking about. "Indeed."

Paya let out a quiet, disappointed sigh.

"Then it is agreed," Impa said. "You will stay in the guest house, and Sheik and Paya will assist you with whatever you should need."

Come again? Sheik couldn't remember agreeing to being someone's manservant. Wasn't this the sort of thing they left Hyrule to escape? He wasn't given a chance to protest yet again, however, as Impa stood up and swept them all outside again, facing the crowd...which had grown bigger in the meantime. It was now, in fact, the _whole_ village save for the ones on guard duty who had gathered outside the chief's house.

"Oh, good, you're all here," Impa said. "Saves me the trouble of gathering you all."

Sheik watched his mother with more than a little despair. Was she under some sort of spell? Was that how the two Hylians next to him had managed to infiltrate their home so thoroughly?

He edged his way over to Paya as Impa addressed the village, introducing Link and Ravio.

"What the hell is going on?" he whispered to his sister. "Has she gone insane?"

Paya rolled her eyes. "Has it occurred to you that she knows exactly what she is doing?"

"By drawing us into a war with Hyrule over their exiled princes?" he hissed, to which Paya could only give him a long, very confused look.

"...what?" she asked.

Sheik huffed, turning away. "Never mind. Look, what exactly did I agree to in there? Because if he's going to ask me to wash his feet for him—"he jerked his head towards Link"—someone's going to die."

Paya continued to stare. "Did you hit your head or something on the way in? All you agreed to was to help them get settled in. We both did. They need something, we help them get it...within reasonable limits, of course."

"Right, right, so no explosives?"

"Sheik, please don't give them explosives. In fact, don't give _yourself_ explosives. You remember what happened last time? They're still finding pieces of the millstone in the fields."

He scowled. "At least I didn't blow up the grain silo."

She scowled right back at him. "Why aren't you or Kiro allowed in the pumpkin patch, again?"

"Look, those scarecrows were conspiring and needed to be eliminated, all right?"

"Except for the one you decided to give a pair of assets by stuffing pumpkins down its shirt."

"That was Kiro's idea, and furthermore—"

"A-hem."

They froze, turning to face the expectant face of Impa, Link, Ravio, and...the rest of the village.

"Are you two done?" Impa asked, eyebrow raised and holding out the heavy keychain towards them. "Because I'm quite certain our guests would like to get some rest now."

"Of course!" Paya said brightly, grabbing the keys. "Link-san, Ravio-san, please follow us!"

Sheik didn't have much of a choice, as Paya grabbed him none-too-gently by the neck and began to half-drag him towards the guest house, which was nestled in among the rocky cliffs at the northern end of the village.

"Wait, my tanto—"Sheik tried, but there was no mercy to be had as Paya simply didn't let him go.

"You can cut yourself open doing tricks later," she said.

Behind them, the Hylians were following closely but silently, giving each other looks that went from confused to amused. All the while, Sheik felt the elder one's eyes boring into his neck.

Clearly, something about Sheik fascinated Link.

And Sheik was going to find out what that was.

* * *

The guest house was the most spacious building the village in the village, consisting of four wings of three medium-sized rooms each, arranged around a central square that was occupied by a well-maintained garden. It had been built to accommodate many guests at once, as some of the merchant trains that travelled this far up into the mountains consisted of small armies of assistants and, sometimes, the merchants' families.

At this time of year, however, there were no guests, and the two Hylians would have the run of the place to themselves.

Paya led them up the small set of stone steps to the main doors, unlocking the heavy padlock with the keys, unceremoniously dumping the burden on Sheik, who barely managed to react in time to not get dragged down by the weight.

"It's usually livelier in here, but we do not get a lot of visitors this time of year," Paya said as they entered the main hall, bare feet padding along the tatami floor. "Perhaps a little more spartan than what you are used to, but I hope you will find it comfortable nonetheless."

An innocuous statement, but Sheik knew what his sister was doing. Sure, one would not be uncomfortable in this guest house, but if these two were princes, it would look like a prison cell free of opulence. And surely spoiled little princes would object to that?

"We'll be fine, I'm sure," Link said, smiling. "I'm used to sleeping outside. Having a room is practically a luxury."

"I like sleeping outside," Ravio added, looking around the big room, studying the decorative tapestries that hung on the walls. The dullest ones, at that. Sheik and Paya had once tried to liven the halls with a little artwork of their own, but no one had been pleased.

Except for the visiting children, maybe.

Paya and Sheik shared a quick look at Ravio's statement.

Right, so probably not princes, then. Or if they were, they'd been exiled for a long time if they were used to not sleeping in the lap of luxury.

"Well, if there is something you want or need, do not hesitate to let us know," Paya said brightly, leading them down the west wing and stopping by the first two rooms.

The rooms were definitely not up to the standards of royalty. Single futons occupied most of the space, with the rest dedicated to a small closet, along with a low desk and a pair of pillows for seating. The opposite wall was also a door, leading into the central garden.

"It is not much, but—"

"This is perfect," Link said, smiling brightly. "Thank you, Miss Paya."

Eugh, it was the sort of smile Sheik suspected the Hylian had spent a lot of time perfecting, meant to charm and disarm anyone he directed it at. Perfect teeth, too. It certainly worked on Paya, judging by the way her cheeks reddened slightly.

It did _not_ work on Sheik. That tingle in his stomach was just an eagerness to get to work on figuring out what these Hylians were here for.

"Yes, thank you!" Ravio added.

And if Link's smile was weaponised charm, Ravio's was weaponised cuteness. His eyes were impossibly huge, face lit up by boyish joy and slightly chubby cheeks. Even Sheik felt a slight urge to pinch them.

Whatever nefarious scheme was at hand here, the little one wasn't involved. This was all Link, clearly. Bastard was probably using his little brother to divert everyone's attention from his plot. Sheik wasn't falling for it, though. There was one thing he'd wanted to ask since the moment they'd been left to the task, in fact.

"Where're your packs?" he asked. "Kinda weird, coming all the way up this mountain without any supplies whatsoever...or weapons. Sheikah lands are safe, make no mistake, but who walks around without any sort of protection?"

"Oh, we left those with the guards at the village entrance," Link replied. "Figured it'd be best to come in unarmed as a show of faith, you know? I do hope we'll get the packs back, at least. There's some personal items in them."

Like secret missives or assassination orders, Sheik would be willing to bet.

"We'll talk to our mother," Paya said. "The guards will likely have searched them, I'm sorry to say."

"We understand," Ravio said, testing the softness of the futon by crawling all over it. It was not adorable. It wasn't. "I just want my ocarina back."

"Mine too," Link added, hesitating a bit when Sheik looked at him. "They were gifts," he added. "From a dear friend of ours."

"Who—"Sheik began.

"Well, I'm sure you'll have them back soon enough," Paya cut him off, bending her right index finger just so, a silent signal for Sheik to shut the fuck up before he said something unfortunate. "In fact, I'll go—"

"Let me," Sheik said, finally the one to interrupt for once, faking a great deal more cheer than was strictly necessary. "I'll go talk to the guards and see if they have your things. Paya, I'll leave the orientation to you! Link-san, Ravio-san, I wish you both a good night!"

He was out the door and building before anyone could respond or stop him, happy to see spot a pair of warriors stationed outside the main doors, having arrived after them at some point. That was good. At least Impa wasn't _quite_ as mad as he'd assumed.

He failed to hear one guard whisper to the other: "Troublemaker number one identified."

* * *

He arrived at the main gate just as Impa was leaving the small hut that housed the guards that were off-shift, a pair of weathered travel packs in her hands and a pair of swords—one appropriately child-sized—dangling from their sheaths over her shoulder. She paused, surprised to see him.

"Where are our guests?" she asked, giving him a sceptical look. He didn't blame her for being suspicious. He'd certainly given her enough reason to be over the years.

"At the guest house," he said, making his eyes as big and innocent as he possibly could. It had worked a treat when he was younger—he saw no reason why it wouldn't now. "Paya's with them, helping them get settled. Figured I'd get their stuff."

"How...kind of you," she said, pausing as she tried to find the right word. There were probably a few adjectives she'd wanted to put ahead of _kind_ , but evidently chose to trust him on his word. "Here, take them, then."

She handed him the packs and looped the sheathed swords over his shoulder.

"You're giving them their weapons back?" Sheik asked, surprised.

"On the condition that they don't carry them around the village," Impa said. "Make sure they understand this rule, please. Assure them that no harm will come to them while they stay with us, and that arms are not necessary lest they venture outside our walls."

"Got it," he said, nodding. "Anything else?"

"No, that is all for now," Impa said, looking up at the pink skies, the sun nearly gone. "Ah, you can also inform that I will have an evening meal sent to them in an hour or so."

"Right, food, got it." He went to march back to the guest house, but Impa's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Not that I believe it is necessary, Sheik, but let me remind you: Going through their belongings is a massive violation of privacy and guest rights."

He scoffed. "I knew that," he said. "What do you take me for, a lowbrow Hylian?"

"Sometimes I'm not sure what you are," Impa said quietly, almost at a whisper.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Sheik. Hop along, now. Remember the rule about weapons."

"Got it, got it!" he ran off before she could think of anything else to remind him of. Hah, as if he was stupid enough to start digging through the Hylians' things...

...while still in her sight.

He waited until he was a few streets away from the guest house before ducking into a little alley formed between the houses belonging to the bowyer and one of the hunters. He put the swords down (honestly, the little one was just a little shorter than Sheik's tanto), and carefully opened the biggest pack. It also happened to be the most worn of the two.

He held his breath as he dug through the contents, waiting for that glorious moment when he'd feel the paper of assassination orders or sabotage instructions touch the tips of his fingers.

There was nothing. He frowned, looking into the pack and finding nothing more than an assorted number of items that, while useful on the road, gave no indication that their owner was up to something nefarious.

There was even an ocarina, as he'd said. Clearly not made by an actual instrument-maker, if the slight imperfections in both its colour, coating, and shape was any indication. That was the only interesting thing in the pack, honestly. The rest was just various types of travel provisions, whetstones for his sword, and a sewing kit. Oh, and a pair of worn, but very clean socks.

Dull, dull, dull.

Well, he supposed it wouldn't make sense of an assassin to be carrying around his orders, especially not into the heart of the target's home. Sheik knew _he_ wouldn't be that unprofessional...if he were ever hired for an assassination, that is.

Unless...

He looked at Ravio's pack. Well, no one would suspect the adorable boy of anything nefarious, which Link had probably counted on, hiding his conspiracy evidence in his brother's pack instead.

Well, only one way to find out!

He opened Ravio's pack and was, once again, disappointed to find more provisions and maintenance tools. There was also, to his surprise, a pair of masks.

One was a simple set of bunny ears painted in an obnoxiously bright shade of yellow, while the other was a relatively elaborate mask of a Hylian's face, with strange facial paint. Apart from being a strange thing to take with you on the road in general, especially if you're possibly running from a throne-stealing relative, there was nothing strange about them. He carefully put them back, making sure he didn't accidentally break them.

Beneath the masks, he spotted what appeared to be another ocarina, though this one was slightly bigger. The light of the setting sun caught on something that glinted like gold on the instrument, but just as he was about to examine it more closely, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps.

Shit, if he were caught red-handed doing this...

He closed the pack and was very careful to make it look like the contents of both packs had not been disturbed before emerging from the alley, pretending to not have been doing anything suspicious at all. To his annoyance, he'd panicked for nothing, as the footsteps belonged to a random villager out for a jog, already gone by the time he was back on the street.

He'd wasted too much time to go back for another peek, though. Damned interruption...

Well, at least no one would know what he'd done.

Hiding evidence of his tampering was something he'd made into an art form at an early age. It was the only way to get away with pranks pulled on Paya.

Not that it stopped his sister from finding out he was responsible and kicking his ass in the sparring ring for it, of course.

Disappointed that he hadn't found anything of interest in their packs, Sheik quickly made his way back to the guest house, meeting Paya on the steps.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"I got lost," Sheik said immediately. It had bypassed his lying centre entirely.

Paya glared at him, crossing her arms in an eerie imitation of Impa. "You went through their things, didn't you," she said. It wasn't a question.

"No?" he said. Why it came out as a question, he wasn't sure, but it had, and he was committed now.

Paya looked at the pair of guards near the entrance to the guest house, lowering her voice. "Find anything?" she asked, her glare intensifying when Sheik grinned.

"You're just as bad as me," he said, waggling his eyebrows. "And no, not really. I'll tell you about it later. Get Kiro and the others, and we'll discuss our findings."

"Right," Paya said, shaking her head. "I should see about getting them some supper first—"

"Mother's got it covered, they'll get a meal in about an hour."

"Ah, good. Saves me the trouble. I'll get the others, then. Meet at Kiro's house in thirty minutes?"

"You got it."

She marched off, and Sheik strolled through the doors into the guest house like he owned the place. Being the chief's son had its perks. He headed for the door to Link's room, the light within muted by the sh **ō** ji. He was about to knock on the frame, but he heard Link's excited voice inside the room, and paused, listening in.

"...can't believe it! It's really him!" Link exclaimed, sounding like he'd just found an orange rupee hidden in a pouch of green ones. "I didn't actually think we'd find him here!"

"Shh, calm down," Ravio's voice hissed at him, sounding annoyed. "You're too loud."

"Oh, sorry," Link corrected himself, lowering his voice. Not that it helped, since Sheik had more or less plastered himself against the wall now, listening intently, though careful not to let his shadow give him away. "I just got excited."

"I know," Ravio said. "But yelling at the top of your lungs isn't going to help. Especially not if you want it go well."

Link made a frustrated groan. "But _how_?" he asked. "I can't just...do it."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it works!"

They fell silent, and Sheik had to fight the desire to lean in further. Whatever he was listening to right now was clearly juicy, and further confirming that Link was up to something...and had apparently dragged his little brother into it.

A terrible thing to do to such an innocent child.

Link was clearly a villain, and Sheik was going to take him down!

"Is someone out there?"

He held his breath and quietly moved away from the wall, thanking his teachers for all the stealth lessons over the years. Impa's training had been harsh, but it had left him more than capable of moving quietly.

"What is it?" Ravio asked.

"Thought I heard something," Link said. "I'm a little jumpy, sorry."

"It's been a long journey, and we're both tired."

"Yeah..."

That was his cue, probably. Sheik had more than enough information to work with for now. Confirmation that something was going on here, at least, which meant he'd definitely need to investigate further. He had no idea who Link had recognised, but it definitely wasn't a good thing that he had.

He quietly moved back to the main hall, and then made his way to the room again, more or less stomping along the tatami to give the impression he'd just gotten there. He knocked on the frame to Link's room.

"Link-san? Ravio-san? I have your things," he said with faux cheer.

"Ah, c-come in!" Link's voice exclaimed, immediately followed by the door sliding open. It slammed into the frame, a little too much energy put into the push.

Sheik bowed his head and walked inside the room, placing the packs and swords on the middle of the floor.

"My mother hopes you find everything to your satisfaction, and to bring you a request to not wear your weapons inside the village. You are perfectly safe here, and do not need to arm yourselves. Is everything all right?" he asked. "Is there something I can get you?"

Ravio was sitting cross-legged on the futon, giving Sheik a polite and slightly shy smile. "I'm a little hungry," he said, sounding embarrassed to admit it.

In the corner of his eye, Sheik was very much aware of Link staring at him again. He still had no idea what the guy's problem was, but it was getting pretty annoying.

"Supper will be brought to you in a little while," Sheik said, decidedly not looking at the older Hylian. He wasn't rising to whatever bait Link was trying to put down. Clearly, he was trying to provoke Sheik somehow. Staring at him until he started picking a fight, or something.

Oh, Sheik was down for a fight, certainly, but he wasn't going to be the one who started it. If Link wanted to fight, he'd have to throw the first punch. And then Sheik would take great pleasure in tying him into knots and deliver him to Impa.

"Thank you!" Ravio exclaimed, eyes huge and looking eager at the idea of food.

Too cute.

Sheik wondered what he'd look like with those yellow bunny ears on...

Shit, gotta stay focused. He cleared his throat and bowed his head again. "Then, unless there is something else you need, I'll leave you to settle yourselves in. Please don't hesitate to let the guards know if you need something. Good night, Link-san, Ravio-san."

"W-Wait!" Link exclaimed as Sheik made to leave.

"Yes?"

This time Sheik did look at him and found himself drawn into a staring contest that lasted for several long, uncomfortable seconds as he waited for the Hylian to say what he needed to say.

"Er..." Link said. "D'you...er..." he sighed, looking down at the floor. "Nothing, I'm sorry."

Sheik narrowed his eyes a little but nodded slowly. "That's...perfectly all right. Good night, then."

"Good night," Link said, still looking at the floor.

"Good night!" Ravio said brightly from the futon.

Sheik left the guest house wondering what the hell had just happened in there. What had Link wanted to say? More importantly, what was he up to? Who was he after? Clearly a man, so his target wasn't Impa, apparently. Who, then?

So many questions, so few answers. He'd have let the others know everything he'd learned tonight, and go over it all carefully with them. Paya was always good at analysis, so she'd definitely find some sort of connection _somewhere_. And then Sheik could act on the information and prove to Impa that one of their guests was anything but an innocent traveller.

He reached Kiro's house a few minutes later and was not surprised to find it crammed full of Sheikah youths. Sheik and Paya's respective friend groups didn't really mingle very often, but this new mystery had them all gathered and ready to identify the threat that had arrived in their midst.

The moment he entered he was inundated with questions, and he made sure to answer them to the best of his ability, as well as telling them what he'd found in their packs. Paya, in particular, ate up this information.

They then spent the rest of the evening theorising what the two were here for. Unfortunately, Sheik appeared to be the only one taking them seriously as a threat. The others were too occupied with what Link and Ravio looked like and if they were nice or polite or rude.

Completely uninteresting, and no matter how much Sheik tried to refocus the meeting on combating the threat of the Hylians, it kept reverting back to how handsome Link was. Paya was quite active in this part of the discussion, describing Link's face in detail. Sheik didn't care.

Sure, Link was attractive—for a Hylian—but what the fuck did that matter when he was clearly here to kill someone? Or sabotage something? Or...escape something?

They were still no closer to figuring out his goal, other than a man being involved somehow.

He was no small amount of bitter when they left Kiro's house just before curfew that night, with no great breakthroughs to show for the meeting.

"Maybe they're just travellers?" Kiro had suggested just before they'd left.

It made Sheik seriously re-evaluate his best friend's intelligence.

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure," Paya said placatingly as they climbed the steps to Impa's house, finding their mother sharpening her weapons in the main room.

"Our guests are settled in?" she asked, looking up from her work.

"Affirmative," Paya said.

"Good," the chief said. "Needless to say, I expect the two of you to be on your best behaviour as long as they're here. I'd like one of you, or both even, to take them on a tour of the village tomorrow morning. In fact, both of you do it."

There was no arguing with that order, and after saying their goodnights the three retreated to their respective rooms. As he laid on his futon, trying to fall asleep, Sheik's mind kept going over the information he had about Link. More specifically, sifting through the male inhabitants of the village in order to find Link's likeliest target.

It took him an embarrassing amount of time to reach an answer that made sense, and when he did he felt utterly stupid.

Of course.

The target was him! Link's main target was Impa, of course, since she was the de facto leader of the Sheikah, but he couldn't get to her as long as one significant obstacle stood in the way. The best, strongest warrior in the village, in fact.

Sheik.

That's why'd been staring so much. He was gauging Sheik's strength, trying to figure out his weaknesses so he'd know when to strike, eliminating Impa's strongest defence. Like that'd ever happen. Sheik was onto him now and wouldn't let his guard down around the bastard.

Plus, he was making the mistake of not taking Paya into the equation. Even if, by some sort of miracle, Link got past Sheik, he'd still find himself facing the second-best warrior in the village before he could get to Impa.

Oh, Link was in for a bad time, all right.

The door to his room slid open, revealing a grumpy-looking Paya.

"Will you _stop_ mumbling to yourself?" she said. "I'm _trying_ to sleep!"

"I just figured it out," he said excitedly, immediately launching into an explanation that he figured she'd find interesting.

Which was why he was so surprised to find himself on his back, being smothered with his own pillow.

And thus began another play fight to the death in the chief's household.

Until they woke up Impa, that is, and she twisted their ears until they stopped.


	2. Chapter 2

The tour was something of a minor disaster. Not because they weren't able to show Link and Ravio around the village and introduce them to as many Sheikah as possible—Paya did that admirably—but because Sheik was unable to glean any new information from their Hylian infiltrator.

Link had given himself away the night before, and he must have realised that as he kept himself on his best behaviour during the tour. In fact, he was warm and outgoing, energetic as he introduced himself to people, even engaging them in a little small talk about what they were doing. The Sheikah were delighted to speak to him, clearly more excited than suspicious about the new face.

Fools.

Had they forgotten why they'd retreated into these mountains in the first place?

Ravio got his cheeks pinched more than once by a few of the elderly grannies, going on and on about how cute he was. On that, at least, Sheik could agree.

But some of his fellow tribe members could go on and on about nothing for a very long time.

Which made Paya's decision to introduce them to Pikango, who was by the river, painting the shrine dedicated to Din, a huge mistake. This, because once the artist started talking, it was very hard to get him to stop, especially when Link kept asking follow-up questions. When he asked about the particular painting Pikango was working on, their fates were sealed.

Sheik _refused_ to believe Link was actually that interested in Sheikah art and painting techniques. Ravio certainly wasn't, his attention drifting around the riverbank, the red, wooden bridge crossing it, the shrine...and a group of Sheikah children playing among the trees nearby, kicking a leather ball that was barely holding itself together to each other.

Upon spotting them, the younger Hylian's eyes filled with excitement and longing, though his face remained as serious as ever. It didn't take a genius to realise how badly he wanted to go over there and introduce himself to someone closer to his own age...and based on how the kids kept looking at him, too, the feeling was mutual. At the moment, though, they kept their distance.

Why, Sheik had no idea. It certainly wasn't out of some sense of respect for Impa's heirs, that was for sure. They'd never let that bother them before, at least. He'd lost count of how many times they'd pranked him or otherwise provoked him into chasing them around the streets and paths around the village.

Which he did mostly for the cardio workout, of course.

Not because he was easily provoked by children half his age.

"...and that doesn't even begin to describe the many ways you can add shade," Pikango said, too deep in his excitement to teach art to a willing torture subject to notice what was going on around them. Link was listening closely, nodding along with his words. Paya, too, was listening with rapt attention. Din knew why, as they'd been lectured on this far too many times.

Anyway, this left Sheik as the only one who'd noticed Ravio's interest. He drew the boy's attention with a quiet cough.

"Do you want to go introduce yourself, Ravio-san?" he asked, jerking his head towards the Sheikah kids.

He might not have trusted Ravio's older brother as far as he could throw him, but that was no reason to leave Ravio miserable and lonely in a new, unfamiliar area.

Ravio looked up at him, eyes widening a little with surprise, though the rest of his face barely moved. It was an impressively stoic mask he'd made himself. Sheik wondered if that was why he had the actual masks with him. A way to escape, maybe?

"Oh...uh...mayb—no," the boy said haltingly, not fooling Sheik for a moment. This was a child who wanted to play and was just too polite or shy to say yes.

Well, Sheik knew how to fix that. He made to signal the kids among the trees, but they had apparently read his mind.

The ball flew through the air, bouncing along the ground, and slowly rolled to a halt at Ravio's feet. The Sheikah child who'd kicked it made a very theatrical _Oops_ -gesture, waving as they emerged from the trees, running towards them.

"Sorry about that, onii-san!" the leader, a little shit called Ryuji, said as he grinned up at Sheik, who pretended to dislike the title. Ruyji then strategically let his eyes 'accidentally' drift towards Ravio, pretending he'd only noticed him then. "Hi! You're new! I'm Ryuji—what's your name?!"

A fairly polite way to introduce himself, all things considered, but Ravio was taken a little aback by the sheer volume at which Ryuji did most of his communicating. His ears would get used to it sooner or later.

"Um...R-Ravio," the boy said, taking a minute step back as Ryuji got closer. A fairly natural reaction, in Sheik's opinion, even without knowing Ryuji's tendency to show affection by slamming his forehead into yours.

"You're Hylian, right?!"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Wanna play?!"

The other kids then, as one, made their most pleading faces at Ravio. Those faces were devastating when employed against adults, and clearly it worked on Hylian kids as well, as Ravio's face turned to Link.

By now, Pikango's lecture had ended in favour of observing this exchange, and the brothers' eyes met as a quick, silent conversation took place between.

"Go on," Link said, smiling. "Just be careful, okay?"

Ravio's lips turned upwards in a tiny—but for him, huge—smile. He picked up the ball and took a few steps forward...and was swept up into the tidal wave that was a group of playing Sheikah kids, immediately whisked away to the play spot behind the trees.

The four of them watched this silently for a little while. Or, three of them did. Sheik kept his eye on Link in the corner of his vision, watching for signs of...something. That something wasn't on the up and up.

All he saw, however, was a bright, brotherly smile. Sheik's staring wasn't subtle enough, apparently, as Link noticed.

"Sorry," the Hylian said. "He hasn't many opportunities to just...play and be a kid, you know? I'm just happy to see it."

"How come?" Sheik asked. "Have you moved around a lot?"

Link paused, as if unsure how to answer the question. "Yeah," he eventually said. "Something like that. Lately we've been travelling a great deal. We haven't really been able to put down roots."

"What's your ultimate destination?"

Behind Link, Paya shook her head. Pikango pinched the bridge of his nose. Apparently, they didn't think much of his interrogation. Well, he'd like to see them do better!

"Nowhere, really," Link said, smiling. "We're just...letting the road take us wherever it goes."

Sheik nodded, pretending he understood and accepted the answer. He understood but didn't accept. He _could_ have imagined it to be true...if the supposed road hadn't led them right into the heart of Sheikah territory without anyone spotting them.

"Shall we continue the tour?" Paya interrupted before Sheik could continue asking leading questions. "Link-san, do you have an interest in archery? Our bows are famous for their range and strength."

"I'm very interested," Link said brightly.

"Then follow me, please," Paya said, nodding to Pikango.

Link made to follow, but hesitated, glancing towards the group of kids. "Maybe I should—"

"Sheik can look after Ravio-san, I'm sure," Paya said smoothly. "Right, brother dear?"

Sheik glared at her. What the fuck was she doing? Ravio wasn't the person of interest here, and she sure as hell didn't seem to be very invested in gathering information about Link. What good would Sheik keeping an eye on the kids do for this investigation?

Ah, but he couldn't say no, either. That'd cost him whatever trust Link had in him.

"Sure, beloved sister," Sheik replied, putting as much barely concealed venom into his tone as possible. "We'll keep an eye on him, Link-san. I'll come find you around lunch time?"

"Ah," Link's smile fell a little, but he quickly plastered on another that was clearly fake to cover it up. "That sounds good to me."

A fake smile and fake words. Sheik was onto the bastard...and of course Paya had sent him away just when he'd found a chink in Link's armour. Typical. This had better be because she was planning on pumping him for information herself.

Well, he supposed that gave him time to plan. Maybe ask Ravio a few questions, find better angles of approach.

He watched them walk towards the archery range, already talking about various techniques. At least she'd managed to find a topic he was interested in (that wasn't bloody painting). Maybe that'd make him slip up again.

"Babysitting duty, eh?" Pikango said, nudging his shoulder, chuckling. "Suits you fine, I think."

"What makes you say that?" Sheik glared at him.

"Well, you spend most of your free time running around with the village kids anyway. What's one more to look after?"

"You're mistaken, sensei," Sheik said, crossing his arms and turning away with a huff. Coincidentally, this left him facing the play spot. Pure coincidence. "I'm not _running around_ with the kids. I'm training them."

"I saw you playing tag with them the other day—"

"Cardiovascular workout," Sheik interrupted. "They're going to be warriors someday, have to get them started early. Helps my own stamina, as well."

"If you say so," Pikango said, patting Sheik's shoulder and turning back to his painting. "I'm sure they'll let you join their game if you ask nicely."

Sheik pretended not to hear him as he stomped away from the old man, making his way towards the play spot. He was _not_ going to join in. He was going to referee.

Five minutes later, he was dribbling the ball with his legs and laughing at the kids' feeble attempts at stealing it from him.

He might have lost perspective for a short while, getting a little too focused on besting the little bastards.

Which he did.

Up until the point Ravio called for a unified attack against him, and Sheik quickly found himself buried under a pile of children.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little proud.

* * *

By the time noon approached, Sheik had been hoping to have learned a couple of things about Link...or barring that, at least where the hell they were from.

As it turned out, Ravio was all too happy to answer questions...though only the ones pertaining to minor details about his brother.

Meaning Sheik now knew Link's favourite colour (ruby red, not obnoxious green), his favourite food (venison stew), his favourite snack (cake, preferably lemon), his favourite season (summer), his favourite song (one composed by a mutual friend of theirs), his hobbies (horse riding, archery, painting), and other things that did not help Sheik in any way to figure out what he was planning or what he was truly capable of.

Not that Sheik blamed Ravio. He'd worded his questions vaguely so he wouldn't seem suspicious himself, and they'd clearly been interpreted by Ravio as a mere general interest.

Though if Sheik was ever going to poison Link, which he might well have to at some point, he now knew what foods to put the poison in for maximum effect.

He hadn't expected Ravio to return those same questions about Sheik, but he'd taken it in stride, answering as best he could. He was a little stumped on the favourite song bit, but he eventually landed on a classical piece Impa had played for them when they were younger, the Nocturne of Shadow.

It was a sombre, melancholic tune usually played at Sheikah funeral pyres in the Shadow Temple back when the clan still lived in Hyrule, though it had fallen out of use since the exodus.

Sheik wasn't sure why, but the piece resonated with him on a level he couldn't quite explain. A little morbid, perhaps, but it was a beautiful piece, damn it!

Ravio had eaten up the answers eagerly, especially the music answer, after which he'd returned to playing with the other kids, who'd more or less adopted him as one of their own after a mere hour of playing together.

Kids were interesting, that way.

Pity it wouldn't last. When Sheik uncovered Link's plan, the Hylian would likely hightail it out of the village, bringing his little brother with him.

It was almost enough to make Sheik _want_ to trust Link, for Ravio's sake if nothing else.

Almost.

* * *

Noon came, and Sheik brought Ravio to Impa's house for lunch. The matriarch welcomed them into her abode with a silent nod for Sheik and a warm greeting for Ravio. Evidently, she was already wrapped around his little finger.

She led them into the small dining area to the side of the main room, where a simple but abundant lunch waited. It was unusual to see five seats around the table instead of three, but it did make it look less naked and austere since the table was quite big.

"Pikango informed me that Paya took Link to the archery range," Impa said from the head of the table sat, waiting for the two stragglers. "And what have you two been doing?"

"Playing," Ravio said.

"Training," Sheik said at the same time.

Impa looked amused. "I see. And what kind of training was that, if I may ask?"

"Vital cargo protection, squad-based hit and run tactics, and wrestling," Sheik replied. "Never know when you need hand-to-hand skills." He gave Ravio a conspiratorial grin, which the Hylian mirrored.

"Ah," Impa said with a nod, looking thoughtful. "Very important skills to maintain, undoubtedly." She looked to Ravio. "And what were you _actually_ doing, Ravio-san?"

"Playing kickball, tag, and wrestling Sheik-nii to the ground," Ravio replied immediately, undercutting Sheik completely.

What a little cutthroat, this tiny Hylian.

Sheik could work with that.

He deliberately chose to ignore the honorific Ravio had started using for him after hearing the other kids using it. It didn't make his heart melt. Nope, not even a little.

"You are _so_ out of the infiltration team," he hissed at the Hylian, who gave him a defiant look in return.

"Honesty is the best policy," Ravio, the little traitor, said.

"Not only is that not even remotely true, it can be downright dangerous," Sheik said. "And another thing—"

"Sheik, perhaps it is best not to make a liar out of the boy," Impa said firmly. "I am not sure his brother would appreciate it."

Ravio grimaced at that, though for what reason Sheik didn't know. Well, not for sure, anyway. He had plenty of suspicions, though, and several of them were revitalised when he saw Ravio's reaction. So, one or both of them were lying.

_Interesting_.

The door to Impa's house slid open, and Paya and Link walked inside in a slightly awkward silence, their gazes refusing to meet. Paya walked stiffly up to the dining area, bowing.

"Sorry we're late," she said. "We got held up at the range."

"Y-Yeah," Link intoned, apparently unable to even look at Paya at the moment. "At the range."

Impa clearly didn't believe them, but didn't say anything, gesturing for them to sit down. "You're here now," she said. "That is what's important. Come, let us eat."

Paya pointedly seated herself next to Sheik instead of on the opposite side of the table, to his surprise, leaving the brothers to sit next to each other as well.

As luck would have it, Link ended up directly across from Sheik. Great. More staring was just what he wanted right now. Sheik gave his sister a questioning look, but she kept her eyes firmly on the table and her bowl.

It wasn't the fanciest feast Sheik had seen. Fried fish, rice, and some sauces for zest. It was the food he'd grown up with. Sheik half-expected that the Hylians—whom he still suspected to be princes or at the very least some flavour of noble—would object to the simplicity of the meal, but they simply dove into it with gusto.

Big eaters both, they barely paused to chew.

Even Impa was surprised, based on the way she kept pausing to watch the two of them more or less inhale their portions. Their requests for seconds were exceedingly polite, their smiles grateful.

"Thank you for the meal," Link said politely when they finished, leaning back with a satisfied sigh and a happy grin. It was so bright it made Sheik smile reflexively back, though he quickly killed it when he realised what he was doing.

"Thank you," Ravio repeated, his eyes lidded.

Sheik knew a crashing kid when he saw one. The play from earlier in that morning plus the meal was the perfect recipe for an afternoon nap.

"You are very welcome," Impa said, delicately dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "I am happy you enjoyed it." She too noticed the younger Hylian's flagging, quickly suppressing a smile. "Perhaps, Link-san, you and your brother would like to retreat for a few hours? My children have lessons to attend, and I have some matters to attend to. You are, of course, free to roam around the village if you wish. Perhaps we can meet here again for supper?"

"That sounds good, Impa-sama," Link said, pausing, as if waiting for approval for using the honorific. Impa nodded minutely, indicating he'd done so correctly. "I've got to admit that I'm a little tired."

"Your journey has been long," Impa said. "I am not surprised. Sheik will escort you back—"

"That won't be necessary," Link said quickly, interrupting her...and then looking horrified at what he'd done. "I'm sorry! I just...we can find our way back. We don't want to take up any more of his time than necessary, especially if he's got lessons!"

Now this was interesting. Why was he so eager to get away, all of a sudden?

"That's all right," Impa said. "If you are certain..."

"I am, thank you!"

The matriarch nodded. "Then I bid you a good afternoon for now, Link-san. As always, don't hesitate to ask any of my people for assistance should you need it."

"Thank you," Link said again, carefully pulling his little brother to his feet and heading for the door. "Thank you again for the meal, and thank you for the tour, Master Sheik, Mistress Paya."

After the door slid shut, Impa turned to Sheik, eyes narrowed.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"Me?!" Sheik sputtered. "I didn't do anything! I was with Ravio the whole morning." He elbowed Paya in the side. "Ask _her_ , she's the one who spent the morning with Link. Ask _her_ why they were so awkward when coming in."

"Paya?" Impa said, fastening her with a piercing gaze.

"N-Nothing happened," Paya said, cheeks reddening.

"I taught you to lie better than that, daughter mine," Impa said. "Look at me."

"Nothing. Happened," Paya repeated, staring the matriarch in the eye, back ramrod straight, her face like stone.

Well, except for the blush, that is.

What that meant, Sheik had no idea.

The staring contest lasted for a few seconds before Impa relented, leaning back. "I see," she said. "My sympathies."

Paya looked away.

"Uh, what?" Sheik asked. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Paya said, standing up. "Come on, we've got calligraphy."

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Sheik!"

Sheik looked helplessly at Impa, who simply shook her head in a gesture for him to go along with it.

He just missed something, and apparently something huge that his sister in no way wanted to discuss.

Which, naturally, meant he started asking about it the moment they left the house.

"What was that all about?" Sheik asked. "What happened? Did you find out anything about Link? He's a spy, isn't he? Or an assassin? Who's his target? Is it me? Mother? You? Nah, it's me, isn't it—heurgh!"

Her jab to his solar plexus came out of nowhere, and left him gasping and hunched over, trying to catch his breath. Paya simply continued to walk, not looking back.

Was it something he said?

* * *

The next day was first day of the week, which was Sheik and Paya's day off. Paya had already risen by the time Sheik had dragged himself out of his futon, disappeared to Din knew where. All Impa was willing to say was that Paya was spending the day with her friends...and to maybe tread lightly around her for a couple of days.

That was fine, Sheik supposed.

It meant he had all the time in the world to continue his observation of the dastardly Hylian as he walked around the village and...just talked to people?

For a while, Sheik assumed he was going around and pumping his clanmates for information about their defences and the like, but when Sheik got close enough to eavesdrop, Link was just making small talk, asking people about their families, what their hobbies were, what their trade was, if they could teach him sometime.

Which was fucking weird. But Sheik supposed it was just step one of Link's plan. First, he'd ingratiate himself to the villagers, and _then_ he'd start surreptitiously drop leading questions and the like. He wouldn't even need to directly ask anything, the Sheikah would just serve up the information on a silver plate.

Well, Sheik would put a stop to that if he heard Link asking something that sounded innocuous but was clearly leading up to something dangerous.

For now, though, he'd hang back and listen in.

At the moment he was hiding in a tree, hidden among the thick foliage as he listened in on Link and Farris, one of the bowyers, talking about what type of wood was best for recurves. There was apparently a lot to say and consider about the subject.

Fucking snore.

Link wasn't even specifically asking about the clearly superior Sheikah bows. No, this was just in _general_. He wasn't showing any signs of diverting the conversation onto Sheikah weapons in general, either.

How long was he planning on staying here, anyway? Was that why he wasn't in any hurry to move things along? It was getting on Sheik's nerves, honestly. Maybe if the chibi was there, they'd get a move on, but Sheik had spotted Ravio running around the village with Ryuji and the rest of the little terrors, clearly abandoning his older brother to his own devices.

Maybe Link was just bored? Hard to believe. In the middle of enemy territory, the last thing Sheik would have felt was bored. Not that he'd be scared—of course not!—but he'd not be in the lack of things to do, see, or learn.

Sheik began to imagine himself in Link's position...and what he knew for certain was that he wouldn't waste any time getting whatever intelligence he was after. He grinned to himself. Oh yes, he'd be in and out before anyone even realised what he'd been up to. No one could deny that he was one of the best warriors and spies in the village then!

He was so busy imagining himself being paraded around the village as a hero that he fell out of the conversation for a bit, only returning at an inopportune moment.

"By the way, have you seen Sheik?"

The mention of his name caught him off-guard and nearly made him lose his grip on the tree branches. That'd have been embarrassing, dropping out of the tree just as Link asked where he was.

Comedic gold in its timing, sure, but disastrous for Sheik's spying venture.

Farris hummed, her eyes immediately finding Sheik's among the branches, damn her. She held his gaze for long moment, too, silent as the grave.

"Um...Miss Farris?"

Farris turned her attention back to Link, who'd clearly failed to realise what she'd been doing and was looking at her with confusion.

For a moment, Farris' eyes took on a wicked glint, and Sheik assumed she'd blow his cover then and there, but then she only smiled gently at Link, giving him an apologetic shrug.

"Not today I'm afraid, Link-san," she said. "But I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later. Sheik tends to show up whenever and wherever you least expect him to. And he's not subtle about it either."

Sheik scowled at her.

Once. He'd fallen through the roof of her house _once_ , and she was never going to let him forget about it. If she didn't want warriors dropping through her roof, she should've had the thing reinforced!

Well, it was now.

Sheik had been forced to help mend it. Or, well, hold stuff for the ones who did the actual mending. What an absolute waste of a day for a ten-year-old.

The experience had taught him not to run around on rooftops, at least.

For about a week.

As if he was going to stop using the most efficient (and awesome) way to get around the village just because of a slight mishap. If something started creaking, though, he was out of there.

"Oh," Link said, nodding slowly. "Okay, thank you, Miss Farris. Sorry for bothering you."

"Not at all, Link-san," Farris said with a smile. "It's not often we get visitors, especially such handsome ones. Feel free to stop by any time. Make sure you have time if you want to learn how to make a bow, though. It's a lengthy process."

"I will, thank you!" he said brightly, waving at her and heading back down the street.

Sheik and Farris' eyes met one last time before Sheik jumped pointedly to the roof of her house, ran along the top and jumped to the next house, following Link.

Watching Sheik stalking the Hylian, Farris chuckled to herself.

"This just like when Oboro visited..."

* * *

If Sheik had hoped to catch Link in the act of something suspicious while the Hylian walked around the village, he'd been very wrong. So far, Link had taken his time walking down the main street of the village, stopping by all the artificers' houses, the little shops, asking them a million and one questions, just like he had with Farris.

Worse yet, the villagers were taking valuable time out of their day to humour him. They seemed delighted to, in fact. Sheik was pretty sure that by the time Link left the village, he'd not only know the name of every single Sheikah there, but also the names of their parents, their children, their brothers, their sisters, their cousins in the other villages, and every single one of their trade secrets.

And they gave him this information like it was nothing.

Sure, he usually offered to help with whatever chores as payment, and a few took him up on it. Sheik thought he'd see a slight twitch of displeasure on Link's face when he was forced to do manual labour...but again he only seemed delighted to. Physical work seemed to be his favourite, helping the smith move heavy boxes full of raw material around her forge. In exchange, he was allowed to watch her work as she made an eightfold blade.

She even offered to teach him to make one himself, just like Farris.

What was wrong with everyone?!

And worst of all, Link kept asking about Sheik. At first it was just if they'd seen him at all...and without fail their eyes immediately gravitated towards Sheik's hiding spot. Granted, they'd all been through the same training, so they all knew the best locations for eavesdropping on conversations, but honestly, was he _that_ predictable?!

No one gave him away verbally, though, and luckily Link kept failing to realise they were giving him visual cues. Not too observant, this Hylian...though that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

After a while, though, Link began to ask about what Sheik was like. What he'd been like as a child. What he liked to do and see.

And that was when Sheik knew _he_ was the eventual target of this bastard. Why else would he keep asking questions about one of Impa's heirs. He was probably planning on taking Sheik out first, then Paya, and then finish Impa off while she was wracked with grief.

A devious and absolutely evil plan.

Sheik wouldn't stand for it.

"...impatient, and not very suited for smithing," the smith, Isli, finished. "Quite a skilled musician, though. His performances at the festivals are always a sight to behold."

Link was eating the information up, nodding eagerly in the shadows of the forge. "What does he play?" he asked.

"The lyre," Isli replied. "And taikos. He and his friends have an ensemble, and they always kick off our celebrations." Link clearly had no idea what taikos were, and for the first time all day he looked hesitant about asking something. Isli took pity on him, though. "Drums," she added. "Big ones."

"I see..."

What a weird thing to look thoughtful about, but Link certainly did. He thanked Isli for taking the time to humour him and promised to stop by at some point for a lesson in blade smithing. Leaving the forge, he realised he'd reached the end of the main street and looked ready to tackle the many little side streets and alleyways.

Sheik suppressed a groan. How much exploring could one man possibly need in a single day? Had he never learned to pace himself?

Sheik shifted his position in the apple tree he'd taken up residence in...which was a mistake as the trunk creaked in protest at the sudden shift in weight.

So loud was it, in fact, that Link heard it, immediately turning around and looking up, his left hand immediately reaching for a sword on his back that wasn't there.

Warrior's reflexes, those.

Their eyes met, and Link's widened. His mouth opened.

"Sheik—"

Sheik launched himself out of the tree and onto the nearest roof, taking off across the village, cursing the tree for giving him away. Now the Hylian knew Sheik was spying on him!

"Wait! Sheik!"

Pausing on a beam, Sheik looked down, realising Link was following him on foot at ground level. He waved his hand at him, desperately flagging him down.

Fuck, this wasn't how he'd planned this to go. Growling, Sheik made his way along the houses that weren't on the main street. These houses weren't as big, and the little streets and road below could be a bloody maze to anyone not familiar with them. Sheik cut across as many of them as he could in an effort to lose the Hylian.

He kept it up for several minutes before stopping when he ran out of rooftops near the southern eastern end of the village, which opened up into the fields where the Sheikah grew their food. Ahead, there was only grain fields, pumpkin patches and vegetable gardens until they hit a sheer cliff face.

Slipping off the roof, Sheik landed in a dead-end alley with multiple sheds, where the farmers kept their tools to protect them from the elements. Panting a little from the exertion of doing so many jumps so quickly, Sheik leaned against on the sheds, mentally going through all he'd learned about Link during his observations.

Which was fuck all.

Well, other than confirmation that Link's target was Sheik, that is. But he'd already known that. This was just corroborating evidence. Why else would Link be asking about him?

He made to leave the alley when he suddenly heard rapidly approaching footsteps. Boots, not sandals.

"Oh, come on..." he muttered just as the Hylian came whirling around the corner, spotting Sheik immediately and pointing at him...though no words came out as he hunched over, panting.

Clearly, the idiot had been sprinting all over the place looking for Sheik.

Must have been really fucking fast, too, given how far Sheik had gone. And how had he managed to find Sheik so quickly, anyway? It was like he'd homed in on this alley the moment Sheik touched the ground.

"Hey..." Link said, finally able to speak. "Why did...you...run?"

Sheik scowled. He couldn't just say that he'd run because he'd been spying and gotten himself spotted.

"Because you were chasing me," Sheik replied, cocking his head to the side, as if confused. "People tend to do that, when being chased."

"I wasn't...chasing you," Link said.

Sheik raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at him. "So, we just ended up in this random alley for completely unrelated reasons, then? Small world, perhaps?"

"You ran," Link said, his breathing finally under control. "And that's when I gave chase."

"And why were you chasing me?"

"Why were you hiding in the tree?"

They stared at each other for a long moment. "Am I not allowed to climb trees in my own village?" Sheik asked.

Link paused. "I...I guess, but—"

"That's what I was doing," Sheik interrupted. "I was about to take a nap. When you spotted me, I realised there was no chance of me getting any sleep in that particular tree, so I left it. And then you chased me. Why?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

And corner me and knife my ribs, I bet, Sheik thought, counting the paces between them. Five and a half, roughly. If Link made a move, Sheik would have enough time to react. Link was unarmed, too, while Sheik had his tanto strapped to his back.

He could end it here, honestly. Put an end to this interloper before whatever plan he had could come to fruition.

But then Impa would demand evidence to Link's potential wrongdoing, and if Sheik failed to produce any...well, he wasn't entirely sure what fate awaited an heir who murdered a guest of the clan within their walls.

It was a special kind of sin, that. When you were a guest of the Sheikah, it meant you were _safe_. From threats outside and within.

No, Sheik couldn't take the risk on killing Link here. He needed a confession of some sort, or Link attacking him in public to justify a self-defence killing.

The bastard was still staring at him, eyes wide. Almost as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Talk to Sheik? What the hell for?

"About what?" he asked.

Link's shoulders sagged a little. "Anything? Everything?" he said questioningly. "I want to get to know you better."

"Why?"

"Because I want to be friends!"

...well, Sheik couldn't blame him for that. Too bad it clearly wasn't true.

"Yeah, well, I have enough friends," Sheik said dismissively, casually reaching into his pocket in a move that looked perfectly natural. His fingers closed around a deku nut. "Is that all?"

Link looked stricken at his words. A bit like a kicked puppy, honestly, and Sheik had to admit Link was a fine actor because that look even tugged a little at Sheik's withered heartstrings. All an act, though, so it wasn't too accurate.

"Well, there is one other thing," Link said, also reaching into his pocket.

Fuck, this was it. Reacting fast, Sheik withdrew the deku nut and hurled it into the ground, where it cracked open and exploded in a flash of bright light.

"Not again!" Link shouted, covering his eyes with his hand.

Sheik didn't stop to ponder the strange choice of words, instead running past Link and into the streets. He didn't stop running until he made it to Impa's home, barging through the door, ignoring his mother (who was playing the koto in the main room). He ran up the stairs and into his room, crouching in the corner with his tanto drawn. Any minute now, the Hylian would come for him, he was sure. He'd revealed his hand now.

...but nothing happened. Link didn't show up, and all Sheik could hear was the twangs of the koto's strings as Impa continued to play, evidently not in a hurry to ask Sheik what he was doing.

Eventually relaxing when five minutes passed with nothing happening, Sheik sheathed his tanto and sat down on the floor, thinking.

Had Link just been about to attack him?

Or had, just as Sheik left the alley, he been pulling out his ocarina?

It was hard to tell. If it _was_ a weapon he'd attempted to pull, it had been rather oddly shaped.

Crap.

It had been the ocarina, hadn't it?

Why, though?

Was Link planning on dazzling him with his musical skills? Try to hypnotise him with some weird Hylian magic based on musical notes? He'd heard the stories about the various, supposedly magical songs the royal family of Hyrule had once possessed.

He groaned. Why did this have to be so hard?!

* * *

Unfortunately, Impa's curiosity wasn't gone; it had merely been dormant as she'd finished playing the koto.

Later that evening, after supper (for which they weren't joined by the Hylian brothers, oddly enough), she took him aside, bringing him out into the garden.

Paya had disappeared upstairs as soon as they were finished eating. She was still oddly quiet, and Sheik was honestly starting to worry for her.

Though, at the moment, he was mostly worried about himself, because Impa only ever took him aside when there was serious talk to be had. And that usually meant he was about to become deeply unhappy.

"You've been causing trouble," she said simply, her back turned to him as she surveyed the small but absolutely immaculate field of various flower beds she kept. "Several clan members reported that you were spotted making a nuisance of yourself to Link, including using a deku nut to blind him."

Sheik had no idea which of his beloved people had ratted him out, but they would pay. He cleared his throat, trying to look innocent.

"We were just playing?" he said.

Impa didn't buy it one bit. He could tell that from her posture alone.

"I don't ask much of you, Sheik," she said, which was a blatant lie. One only needed to look at Sheik's daily schedule to see this. "And in this case, I only asked one thing: be mindful and respectful of our guests. Blinding them with deku nuts—which are not toys, I might add—is _not_ being mindful and respectful."

"I thought that knife was supposed to cut both ways," Sheik said, unable to help himself. "I don't think it's very mindful or respectful to chase me around the village."

"After you spent most of the day following him around and spying on him," Impa said, finally turning around to face him, her eyebrow raised. "Oh yes, I was informed of that, too."

Oh, this was bad. There was just no way to turn this around to make him look good. She was already convinced the elder Hylian was no threat, so Sheik spying on him wasn't going to be well-received until he produced tangible evidence of wrongdoing or, even better, a confession from the man himself.

Neither of which Sheik had at the moment.

Soon, though...

"Link was quite upset when he returned to the guest house, I was told," Impa continued.

"By another one of your little spies?" Sheik asked.

He just couldn't wrangle his own tongue today, apparently.

"No," Impa said. "By his brother, in fact. Ravio was quite upset with you, and I swore that I would make it right." She narrowed her eyes, staring down at him with the blazing left eye of Din. "And make it right, I shall. You clearly have too much time on your hands, son of mine, if your activities of today are any indication. Idleness and restlessness are a dangerous combination, and I intend to make sure you have neither."

Sheik gulped.

"As of tomorrow, I will fill every waking moment of your day with activities, both physical and mental. Perhaps that will tire you out enough for you to behave properly around our guests."

Sheik felt his stomach lurch a little. "No free time?" he asked meekly.

"No free time," Impa confirmed with a nod. "I will work you to the bone, Sheik. It's for your own good. And when it's over after...hm...let's say three days, I will take you to the guest house so you can apologise properly to Link. And then perhaps the two of you can start over."

Not bloody likely, Sheik thought, but nodded. "Very well," he said.

Impa held his gaze for a long moment before nodding as well. "It is settled, then. I would go to bed now, if I were you, and get as much rest as possible. Your day starts at dawn."

As Sheik went to his room and prepared for bed, he felt his anger at the elder Hylian only grow fiercer.

The fucking bastard would pay for this!


	3. Chapter 3

The next three days were pure hell from start to finish.

Impa would force Sheik up before dawn to jog for an hour. Which wouldn't be too bad were it not for the ankle weights she made him wear and the fact that the route was up and down the nearest mountain. They then went back to the house for breakfast, after which most of the day was crammed full of lessons.

Everything from maths to philosophy, from music to calligraphy and everything between. There was no limit to what Impa thought necessary for him to learn.

It seemed his mother had every intention to cram his brain so full of knowledge it would explode at the slightest provocation.

By the time he felt like he was about to pass out from the mental exertion, they took a small break for a small meal, after which he was hurled bodily into the training yard with Dorian and several other of the senior Sheikah who had volunteered to put Sheik through some, as they called it, extra drills.

Physical torment bordering on torture would be a far more accurate term.

They worked on his stamina, physical strength, balance, flexibility, and stealth.

They made him go through every kata he knew with every weapon he'd ever trained with, and if his execution was anything less than perfect, they made him start over.

Over and over.

Until every muscle in his body burned and every movement required every iota of strength he could summon. He didn't as much walk back inside the house as crawl. He'd barely be able to finish his late, late supper and a much-needed bath before crawling back up the stairs and into his futon...only for the process to repeat.

By the time Impa released him from his torment on the third night, he wasn't even sure if he were even awake. Everything was like a haze, which the bath didn't help clear.

"I hope this has given you something to think about," Impa said, watching him shakily work his way up the stairs. "Tomorrow, you will apologise to Link-san. I will be there to observe."

"Uh-huh," Sheik said, which was about all he could force his mouth to produce. There wasn't a single part of him that didn't hurt at the moment. He was even sure his uvula had somehow gotten bruised.

Actually, that wasn't quite true. He couldn't feel his legs, so they technically didn't hurt. Or maybe they were hurting so bad his brain had just decided to shut down the nerves to that part of his anatomy to preserve his sanity.

The Sheikah were a hardy people. They trained in fighting techniques almost from the day they were able to walk, no matter who they were. Sheik was therefore no stranger to physical exercise or harsh training.

This was on a different level entirely. He couldn't ever remember having been this tired, not even during the most gruelling days of his basic training...which had been pretty damn gruelling, being the adopted child of the village chief.

Whether it was because Impa felt she needed to prove she wasn't about to give her children special treatment, or because she wanted Sheik and Paya to prove themselves worthy of the position as her heirs, he wasn't sure, but the training had been never-ending.

He shuffled his way past the door to Paya's room, which was still firmly closed. He'd barely seen hide nor hair of his sister in the last three days. Fleeting glimpses only, and she had not spared him much attention either. Which was odd, because she always took a great deal of pleasure out of Sheik getting punished.

As he did when _she_ was punished, of course. The unbreakable bond of love and hate in equal measure of siblings was a thing of wonder.

But Paya had failed to gloat at him this time. She had gone out for her lessons during the day, and spent her afternoons with her friends, only returning for supper and then heading out again, never returning until just before bedtime. She said her goodnights and disappeared upstairs into her room.

Rinse, repeat.

She was clearly angry with him about something, and at this point he was honestly considering apologising for whatever he'd done.

But that would require them to be face to face at some point.

He considered knocking on her door, but at this point all he'd be able to mount in terms of an apology (or words in general) would be an exhausted "Murrmrrsh..."

And he highly doubted that would make Paya inclined to forgive him.

So, he stumbled inside his own room, shut the door, and crawled into his futon, lying flat on his back as that was the position that hurt him the least.

He closed his eyes and let the oblivion of sleep claim him.

...or tried, at any rate.

He was exhausted, but his brain would not shut off. Because while Impa may think that punishing Sheik in this way would have him consider his actions and maybe find some smidgen of remorse deep within himself, she was very, very wrong.

If anything, this only motivated Sheik further, because when he discovered what Link's plans were and the nefarious nature of them, he could truly milk this cruel and unnecessary punishment for what it was worth.

He loved his mother. He truly did. But she, too, sometimes needed to be brought down a few pegs. Having punished her own son for pursuing a line of enquiry that indeed turned out to be the correct one would probably have that effect.

Maybe prove to her once and for all that Sheik wasn't nearly as stupid as she probably thought he was.

An hour passed, and still no sleep came. He heard Impa make her own preparations for bed, and the door to her room shutting. Another hour passed. It was close to midnight, now, if not exactly.

The idea struck him suddenly and like lightning from a clear sky. This was a perfect moment to spy on the Hylians again. As far as they knew, Sheik was still being punished and would be in no shape to eavesdrop.

What the hell was he doing, wasting valuable time in his futon?

With no small amount of suppressed, teeth-gritted groaning, he emerged from his cocoon and made his way to his window, carefully opening it. The hinges needed to be oiled, badly, but he still managed to open it with barely any noise.

Outside, the village had gone to sleep. The only lights came from the lamps positioned along the streets for the patrolling guards. Sheik went through the schedules he'd memorised and waited until he was absolutely sure no one would accidentally spot him climbing down the outside of Impa's house.

Which was easier said than done in his current condition. His legs were still on the numb side, so it was far less than his usual grace and precision that he made his way down.

He did _not_ fall into the bush just underneath his window. He dove into it. Gracefully. Like a swan.

Luckily, he emerged from the bush no worse for wear, and made his way to the guest house. Every now and then he had to duck behind a wall or other handy object to avoid a patrol, but none spotted him, and soon he was scaling the outside wall of the guest house. He'd had to climb up the east wall, as that was the one with the easiest handholds and a helpful, large rock to give him the boost he needed.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on the roof tiles being so slippery. Once more, he did not fall. He dove into the centre garden. And, frankly, that was his destination in the first place.

The brothers' rooms were easy to find, being the only ones with lit lamps outside on the patio. Sheik crawled his way towards it (his legs were still not entirely on the same page as the rest of his body), and he quickly found a semi-comfortable position under one of the immaculately trimmed bushes (he was too busy being stealthy to pay attention to which) near the patio, craning his neck this way and that, hoping to catch the unmistakable murmur of whispered words with his ears.

To his disappointment, there was none.

Apparently, Link's scheming was entirely confined to the day, as there was no light coming from within his room. All Sheik could hear, honestly, was...nothing, honestly. Maybe some breathing, if even that.

Still, he'd come all this way. He'd give it a few minutes before he went back. Mostly so the burning in his muscles could die down a little.

Some part of the bush he was hiding under was trying to invade the slight gap between his shirt and trousers, and he brushed it away.

To his slight surprise, he appeared to have arrived at the exact right time, as he suddenly heard a disturbance from within the rooms. A quiet murmur, too unclear to be the product of someone awake, and the sound of shifting fabric. Tossing and turning.

It was quite a persistent sound, too, but it wasn't until Sheik heard Link's voice clearly that he knew what was happening.

"No...please...don't..."

The Hylian was dreaming. What luck. Sleep talkers had a tendency to give away what they were dreaming about...and since one tended to dream about what had occupied one's thoughts most during the day...

Well, Sheik was probably about to hear some scheming.

He couldn't believe his luck.

Or his bad luck, as it were, as Link's sleep talking only increased more and more in volume, the sounds of movement inside growing more frantic until he outright _screamed_.

It was so loud, so sudden, so desperate, Sheik almost felt the urge to rush in there and make sure he was all right. Good thing he wasn't crazy, though, remaining where he was as the scream was suddenly cut off, replaced with frantic panting as the voice's owner returned to the land of the waking.

Hah, so he slept badly, eh? Weighed down by a guilty conscience, no doubt. Only natural, given how he was taking advantage of his hostess' kindness to eventually kill her. After killing her son first, of course, for being the only thing standing between them.

Everything was falling into place now. Guilty conscience was just another bit of proof to Sheik that Link was up to something. Sure, it wouldn't matter much to Impa, but it made Sheik certain he'd find something _soon_ that he could present to Impa as tangible evidence.

His musings were interrupted as the sliding door to Link's room opened, revealing the Hylian himself. He shuffled shakily out onto the patio, his hastily donned yukata slipping off his shoulder.

Sheik's breath caught slightly in his throat as Link passed the lantern on the patio, the light revealing the sharp lines of Link's defined, muscular physique as revealed by the slipping yukata. As well as the scars.

Some jagged, some neat, some mere dimples. And that was just on the upper left part of his body.

Those muscles, those scars.

There was no doubt about it. The Hylian was a warrior, and clearly an experienced one, at that. At such a young age, too. Link couldn't be much older than Sheik, if that. Eighteen years old, and already marked like a fighter twice his age.

Sheik realised his mouth had fallen open, and he closed it hurriedly. He could only imagine what the Hylian had been through to gain those markings.

Shivering slightly in the cold of the night, Link pulled his yukata up to cover his shoulder.

Sheik couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that.

Because he wanted to gain as much information on Link as possible, of course!

Shaking his head, Sheik watched Link sit on the edge of the patio, letting his legs and bare feet dangle just above the soft grass of the garden.

Huh, he was still wearing his trousers. That was...unusual. And suspicious. But then, as a warrior, it was probably ingrained in him to be ready to fight at any moment. Old habits die hard, as they said.

His breathing was still a little ragged, and he was taking a long time to calm down from whatever he'd dreamt about. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his yukata, rubbing his eyes as if...yes, he was drying tears.

What could he possibly have dreamt about?

Before Sheik could speculate, the sliding door to Ravio's room opened as well, revealing the younger Hylian. He was dressed in a yukata too, but not nearly as messily as his brother. His hair was a mess, however, and was incredibly adorable to see.

Sheik half-expected some sort of cute display of a little brother worrying about his elder brother, some desperate pleading for Link to tell him what was wrong. Instead, though, Ravio appeared to take in the sight before him for a moment before sighing and joining Link on the edge of the patio.

Link didn't even look at him, his breathing still shaky.

Ravio watched him patiently, one his hands finding Link's, their fingers intertwining tightly.

Only when Link had finally gained control of his breathing did Ravio speak, asking quietly, "Another nightmare?"

Link nodded. "Yeah," he said hoarsely. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

Ravio shook his head. "I wasn't asleep."

The brothers looked at each other in a commiserating way.

"Still seeing the...you know?" Link asked, hesitating when describing whatever plagued his brother's mind.

"Every time I close my eyes," Ravio said, shaking his head. "Like I'm still there, and it's right there in front of me."

"I'm sorry..."

Ravio gave a little snort. He was a lot more verbal when it was just him and his brother (or when he _assumed_ it was only him and his brother, at least). Maybe he was just uncomfortable with speaking around strangers? But then, he was communicating with Ryuji and the other kids just fine...

"It's fine," Ravio said. "Just keeps me awake some nights." He turned to face Link fully, crossing his legs perfectly. "What did you dream?" he asked. It wasn't a question that invited a non-answer. More of a demand.

Link grimaced. "It's...unpleasant," he said. "I saw...them. All of them. Their faces. Heard their voices, screaming." Link shuddered, turning his head to look at the garden.

Sheik curled a little more in on himself under the bush, trying to make his profile smaller and less likely to be spotted. Something sharp scraped against the exposed skin of his arms and legs, but that didn't matter. As long as he wasn't spotted, he'd gladly suffer any sort of discomfort. What Link was saying was far more important.

Whose faces? Whose voices? Whose screams?

People he'd fought? Killed? Murdered?

What, exactly, was weighing so heavily on Link's conscience that it gave him apparently recurring nightmares?

"It wasn't your fault," Ravio said.

"The hell it wasn't," Link murmured, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I failed them. I failed all of them."

"You didn't fail—"

"I did," the older brother hissed, glaring at Ravio. "I had everything I needed, and I faltered at the last moment, when it truly mattered. I...they were counting on me, but I..." He couldn't suppress the sob, bowing his head and giving a low, keening whine that even made Sheik's chest hurt. "I shouldn't be here," Link whispered, his voice broken.

Ravio didn't say anything, only sitting up on his knees and wrapping his arms around his brother's shoulders.

"It all went wrong, but it wasn't your fault," the younger Hylian said firmly. "No one blamed you for it—"

"I saw it in her eyes, she—"

"She was the one who sent you away," Ravio cut his brother off, his voice eerily harsh for such a young child. "If she blamed you in any way, she wouldn't have done that. You know that. You _know_."

"I should be dead," Link sobbed.

"No, you're exactly where you should be," Ravio said. "With me."

Whatever control Link had left disappeared at those words, and he broke down, crying into his little brother's chest, sobs muffled by the fabric.

Sheik watched, unable to do much else. He felt like he was intruding on something he had no business watching, despite all the intriguing information he'd just overheard. Still, he couldn't retreat. He'd give himself away if he did. He had to wait and watch as Ravio comforted Link in a reversal of how these moments usually went.

It took several minutes before they relinquished their hold on each other, Link's eyes red and wet, but a small smile on his face.

"Thank you," he said, his voice even rougher now. "I'm sorry for—"

"Stop apologising," Ravio said. "We're in this together. You help me, I help you."

Link chuckled, ruffling Ravio's hair so it stood up even more, causing the younger boy to glare at him.

"What would I do without you, huh?"

"Cry in a sad heap somewhere, I'm guessing," Ravio said, standing up. "Wait here," he ordered, disappearing into his room, emerging a moment later...only to go inside Link's room as well. When he came back out, he had to two objects in his hands.

Link looked unsure. "I don't think I'm in the mood for music tonight," he said, though he still accepted the ocarina that was thrust into his hand.

"Too bad," Ravio said, sitting down next to him with his own ocarina, which was bigger and looked far finer than Link's. There was some sort of golden emblem under the mouthpiece, but Sheik was too far away to see what it was.

If only he'd had more time when he had his hands on their packs...

"We're doing it. It always cheers you up. We'll start with Saria's Song."

"But—"

" _We'll start with Saria's Song,_ " the chibi repeated firmly, leaving no room for argument. "I'll lead."

Link sighed, but nodded nonetheless, and put the ocarina's mouthpiece to his lips.

Sheik couldn't believe the mix of bad and good luck he was experiencing. He'd just learned that not one, but _both_ brothers had been involved in some past nastiness, Link's so bad that it haunted him very badly. Chibi wasn't unscarred either, but he seemed to be handling his own trauma far better than Link.

And yet, it was all too vague for him to work with. There was still nothing he could investigate further or, indeed, ask them about directly without revealing his spying on them.

What the hell had these two been through?

Sheik's previous theory of Link having been through some sort of coup at some point was starting to feel like the most likely one...but which side had he been on? Had he been defending the throne, or trying to take it?

Either way, he'd clearly failed, and taken everyone involved down with him. Someone, a woman, had sent him away. For his own safety, or everyone else's? Who was she? A relative? A friend? A lover? A wife, even?

His theorising would have to wait, though, as Ravio began to play. The sound of his ocarina cut through the otherwise silent night, fingers moving deftly along the ocarina as he played a quick, upbeat series of notes. Link joined in a few bars later, playing at a slightly higher pitch, creating a harmonic effect.

It was a song meant to be danced to, that much was certain. Sheik felt the energy of it, his own traitorous body wanting to move along to the rhythm the brothers' feet tapped against the wooden surface of the patio.

It ended all too soon after a few minutes, but the effect it'd had on Link was immense, the shadow the nightmare had cast over him entirely replaced with a soft but genuine smile.

"I think that's one of my favourites," he said quietly. "I miss her."

"I miss her too," Ravio said, nodding.

They shared a quiet moment, smiling at each other.

Miss who? Saria? The one who the song was named after? Or the one who'd written it, perhaps? Was she one who'd sent Link away?

Argh, why did they have to be so frustratingly vague, even with each other?! It was like trying to figure out one of Impa's secrets at this point!

Except he _would_ succeed with this one. He'd yet to crack one of Impa's, but he was damn well getting to the bottom of these two Hylians!

Link was the one who took initiative for the next song. He didn't give Ravio a title, only began to tap his foot for a moment, setting up the beat, and then began to play.

It was a calmer song, its pace slower. It was not a very complicated tune, definitely not of Sheikah origin. It was more like something a maid would sing as she busied herself with chores. Perhaps around a farm of some sort, or a ranch. Ravio smiled at hearing it and joined in a few moments. Not playing, though. Singing. Or, vocalising, rather, as there were no words coming out of his mouth.

It was lovely.

"I like it when you sing," Link said once they'd finished, smiling at his little brother. "You should do it more often."

"I don't really have a good voice for anything other than that song," Ravio said, looking a little bashful. "My turn."

They went through several other songs. Some happy, some sad. All of them very short, never outstaying their welcome. Both brothers were considerably more cheerful by now, laughing and jostling each other between numbers.

"There's one I'd like to play," Ravio said after an impromptu wrestling match. "Seems appropriate, you know?"

"Yeah?" Link said. "Go ahead."

Ravio nodded and tapped the beat. A little faster, this time. A time suitable for dancing, Sheik could tell already. When Ravio began to play the ocarina, however, Sheik froze.

The tune was old. Centuries old. It, along with many other pieces, had been written by a Sheikah composer, and was one of the many traditional pieces that had been shared with the Hyrulian royal family.

He could only watch with his mouth open as the brothers performed the Minuet of Forest in front of him. It was a simpler version than Sheik was used to hearing due to the lack of stringed instruments, but it was unmistakably the same song.

How the fuck did these two know it?

The Sheikah had shared it with the royal family of Hyrule, but that was centuries ago. Music had a tendency to disseminate throughout any given population.

Sheik bit his lower lip so hard it almost bled in frustration. Yet another frustratingly vague clue. Them knowing the song was no guarantee that they were connected to the royal family.

...but...

...it did suggest they were _from_ Hyrule. Or had visited it at some point at the very least and heard the song.

He shifted again, biting back a yelp as he was scraped up a little more by whatever had its hooks in him.

The song ended soon after, the notes lingering in the night air.

Link was frowning a bit. "Why did you want to play that song?" he asked.

"Like I said," Ravio replied, "it felt appropriate. You know, since you learned it from—"

"Right, right," Link said, shaking his head. "I get it."

"It'll be fine, you know?" Ravio said.

"I doubt it," Link dismissed him. "But...since we're playing them..."

"Bolero?"

"Bolero."

Before Sheik could wonder, the duelling melody of the Bolero of Fire filled the air. It was a song that symbolised friendship, and the power it held. It was fast-paced and dramatic. Without a doubt Sheik's second favourite among the old compositions. And they played it flawlessly. Sheik had only heard it played on traditional Sheikah instruments, but the ocarinas gave it a slightly airy quality that was strangely intriguing.

And it only continued from there. They played the Serenade of Water, the Prelude of Light, the Requiem of Spirit...

All performed perfectly.

What the fuck was going on with these two? Where did they come from? What had they been through?

And why, for the love of all that is good and holy, were they _here_?!

In Sheik's village?

Why?!

When they finished the Requiem, they were both looking quite relaxed...but also tired. They gave each other equally sleepy smiles and evidently decided in tandem that this was the end of their concert.

"Think you can go back to sleep?" Ravio asked.

"Mhm," Link hummed, nodding. "You?"

"I think so."

Link leaned forward and kissed Ravio's forehead. "Thank you for cheering me up."

Ravio smiled. "Likewise."

They bid each other good night and disappeared into their respective rooms, doors sliding shut.

Sheik let out a quiet sigh of relief. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand hiding. He was itching to walk for a bit, despite his aching muscles, digesting what he'd just learned and heard...but also to get out of this damned bush, because something in it kept digging into his skin and scratching him and...

...he was under a rose bush, wasn't he?

He looked up.

"Fuck," he whispered, realising he had several dozen thorns digging into the unprotected skin of his arms and legs.

This was going to hurt.

* * *

He wasn't entirely sure how he made it home and into his futon, his mind spinning a mile a minute as he tried to sort the information he'd just gained in his head, unable to make sense of it. At some point he'd climbed back into his room and slipped into an uneasy sleep, ignoring the stinging of a dozen rosebush-related puncture wounds.

As he slept, he dreamt. What of, he wasn't entirely sure, apart from one thing: Link. The Hylian had a central role in whatever his mind had conjured up, and contrary to what Sheik had expected, he couldn't recall having felt any hostility towards Link at all. In the dream, Link had looked so sad...and all Sheik had wanted to do was help him. Comfort him, somehow. Take away whatever haunted him.

An infuriating notion, which was made even worse when it still persisted when Sheik woke up to the crowing of a cuccoo, absolutely exhausted. And sore. Din above, his poor muscles felt like they'd turned into stone during the night.

Crawling out from beneath his comforter, Sheik surveyed the damage the rose bush had left on his arms and legs. They were bad. He purposefully wore a long-sleeved shirt and long trousers. If Impa found that odd, she didn't mention it as he joined her and Paya at the breakfast table.

"I am releasing you from your punishment," his mother said the moment he sat down. "I think you've learned our lesson, don't you?"

He bowed his head in a theatrical show of contrition. "I have, mother. I am sorry."

Impa nodded. "I am not the one you have to apologise to. I have scheduled a short meeting with Link-san and Ravio-san for you this afternoon. You will make a formal and _genuine_ apology for blinding him with a deku nut then. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Good. Let us eat."

Sheik dug in, devouring his portion at a record pace, his stomach threatening to eat itself if he didn't fill it up soon. When he made to get seconds, Paya wordlessly handed him the bowl from her side of the table.

She didn't say anything, but the eye contact and little smile she gave him as he accepted the bow told him that he'd been forgiven for whatever he'd done. Which was interesting since he'd never gotten a chance to apologise in the first place. Or find out what horrible thing he'd done.

When he tried to ask, she just shook her head minutely, giving him a hand signal that meant "Later".

Impa pretended not to notice.

At the end of breakfast, Sheik and Paya had about an hour to themselves before their lessons of the day began. Sheik was excused from the physical training that day, since he couldn't move without groaning like an old man...or feeling like one, at that.

"I am strict, Sheik, not _cruel_ ," Impa said.

Which was a lie.

The way she kept throwing pebbles at him to wake him up during their calligraphy lesson was more than proof of that.

The lessons ended at noon, and they had lunch.

While Paya went to the dojo for training, still not elaborating on why she'd been mad at Sheik, he was left to his own devices as Impa had other duties to attend to.

Left alone in the house, Sheik briefly considered finding and spying on Link again, but something made that idea less appealing at the moment. He kept seeing the Hylian's exhausted, grief-stricken face in his mind's eye...

He shook his head. No, he wasn't feeling sympathetic towards a potential enemy. No way in hell. No, Sheik was just tired and sore. He needed a break himself.

So he did what he usually did when he had idle hands and nothing to do.

He sought out Kiro.

* * *

Kiro was a about year older than Sheik and had been something of an unofficial big brother to the Sheikah in their age group, leading them on grand adventures when they played together. As they grew older and matured, however, he also became the one they went to for help when it came to matters of romance and more...physical things, as he gained a reputation for being experienced.

It had eventually reached the point where the other villages even knew about him. More than one young Sheikah had sought him out for advice during festivals, leaving a little more knowledgeable and quite satisfied.

The elders weren't very happy with Kiro and his more relaxed approach to romantic relationships than theirs, which was still quite fixated on formal courting rituals. Not that it let that stop him, never turning down anyone who came to him for help.

Sheik found the man himself in the main room of his little home off the main street, writing a letter.

"Am I bothering you?" Sheik asked, knocking on the doorframe.

"Not at all, just gotta finish this," Kiro said, not looking up from his letter but waving him inside all the same, then gesturing to the low table in the corner, where a covered basket stood. "Mana brought over some mochi earlier this morning. Help yourself."

Sheik didn't need to be told twice, making a beeline for the basket and, indeed, helping himself to a treat. Biting into the sweet rice cake, he sighed with delight when he realised there was a strawberry inside.

Mana made the _best_ treats!

He joined Kiro at the low desk, sitting on a pillow next to his. "What're you writing?" he asked. "Secret missives?"

Kiro snorted. "If I were writing secret missives, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Because I wouldn't be here. Because I'm _that_ good."

"At what? Shirking your duties?"

"Among other things," Kiro said with a grin, finishing his writing with a delicate flourish and carefully folding the letter, sealing it with wax. "It's just a friendly letter," he said.

Sheik paused, then the realised. "Oh," he said, grinning a little. "For Risa?"

"No," Kiro said. "For Reno, actually."

"Reno?"

"You know, the one from Hateno? Poor kid's being forced into a traditional courtship with a girl in the next village by his parents. Problem is, he doesn't really like her, and she doesn't like him. Parents don't care, though. So, I'm just writing him a little letter with some advice on how to stand up to them." He patted the letter delicately. "He deserves way better."

"Like you?"

"Hah, hardly," Kiro said with a laugh, giving Sheik a pointed look. "I think we can both agree that _better_ is not a word that can be applied to me and my horrible, horrible influence."

"You're not horrible," Sheik said, patting his shoulder half-sympathetically. "A vile pervert, maybe—"

"Thank you," Kiro said brightly.

"—but not horrible," Sheik finished, scowling at the elder. "You're not supposed to thank people for calling you that."

"Compared to what some of our elders call me, it's practically a glowing endorsement," Kiro said with a snigger, leaning back and regarding Sheik curiously. "So, where have you been for the past few days? Haven't seen you since you decided to blind that poor Hylian...which, now that I think about it, explains your absence, I guess. Impa-sama wasn't happy, huh?"

"Got it in one," Sheik said with a sigh. "I spent the last three days getting run into the ground, both mentally and physically."

"Oh, they made you do maths?" Kiro cackled as he avoided Sheik's hand swatting at his head.

"Among other things, yes," Sheik hissed. "And I wouldn't be so quick to make fun of my math abilities when, as I recall, it took you quite a long time to figure out geometry."

Kiro's grin disappeared, replaced with a scowl. "Geometry is a torture method," he said. "Made to torment and terrorise innocent young minds."

"Ah, so it didn't affect you, then, since I'm pretty sure you never had any innocence to begin with."

"That's just hurtful," Kiro said, eyes narrowed. "I welcome you into my home, share with you my treats, and what do I get in return? Personally attacked."

"I think you'll live," Sheik said, not even pretending to be soothing.

"Hmph, we'll see," Kiro replied, a grumpy grimace on his face. "Anyway, any reason you came to see me? It's rare to see you out and about at this time of day."

"Afternoon off," Sheik explained. "On account of every muscle in my body screaming."

"Hah, I know the feeling."

"Not like this, you don't," Sheik said. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away," Kiro said. "I thought we'd gone over the basics already and then some, but I guess we can run through it again—"

"Not _that_!" Sheik exclaimed, his face heating up a little. "About the Hylians!"

The older Sheikah straightened up a little at that, a rare atmosphere of seriousness descending on the room. "All right," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"Have you talked to them?"

"I've said hello to the kid a few times when he's been running around with Ryuji and the others," Kiro said, taking a moment to adjust his silver ponytail. "Sweet boy, if not very verbal. Had a long-ish conversation with the older one just yesterday."

"What about?"

"This and that? Just pleasantries, really. Sort of a hi, who are you, what do you do kind of thing. He asked about you, too, actually."

Sheik grimaced. Again the Hylian had been asking about him. What the fuck for?

"I thought it was a bit odd at first," Kiro admitted, "but then I figured I too would be curious about the random guy who flashbanged me out of nowhere one day, so I didn't think to ask why."

Sheik glowered at his half-eaten mochi. "He asked about me _before_ I stunned him, anyway, so..."

"He did?" Kiro said, looking curious. "Huh...interesting."

"I just don't know why he's so interested in me!" Sheik exclaimed, finally allowed to vent his frustration to someone who wasn't about to punish him. "Why? I followed him for an afternoon, and he asked _everyone_ he ran into about me! And when I confronted him about it, he said he wanted to be friends! Like I'm going to believe that!"

Kiro remained silent, letting Sheik keep complaining for a few minutes. A smug smirk had come to his lips, however, which made Sheik pause.

"What?" he asked. "What're you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Kiro said in that fake innocent tone that told him it definitely wasn't nothing. "Just had a random, funny thought. Not important, though. Anyway, you want to know what the village thinks about those two?"

Sheik sighed. Trying to pull secrets out of Kiro was like pulling teeth: painful and miserable, and best done with pliers. Seeing no pliers nearby, he said, "What do they say?"

"All kinds of theories, really," Kiro said. "Some think they're nobles on the run from vengeful relatives, others that they're secret relatives of ours. My rupees, though, are on them being two of Impa-sama's double agents in Hyrule. Their cover was probably blown, and they retreated here, where Impa-sama could protect them."

Sheik considered those options. They could be...plausible. "I'm thinking assassins," he said.

Kiro couldn't suppress his snort. "Assassins? Those two?"

"They could be assassins!" Sheik exclaimed. "Have you looked into their eyes?!"

"Yeah, and they're beautiful," Kiro said wistfully. "The older one's are like looking into the vast, deep ocean..."

Sheik glared at him. "You're thinking about fucking him, aren't you?" he said, his chest tightening with annoyance. "Typical."

Besides, Kiro must've been blind. Link's eyes were more like a summer afternoon sky. Some spy Kiro was.

"Hey, if he's interested, who am I to deny him?" Kiro said, shrugging.

"Eugh," Sheik groaned, standing up. "You're impossible!"

"Hey, hey, look," Kiro exclaimed, grabbing his wrist before he could stomp away. "If you're worried about their intentions, look at this way: You trust Impa-sama, right?"

Sheik glowered. "Of course I do. She's my mother."

"Exactly, and have you ever known her to be reckless or in any way not careful in an utterly paranoid manner?"

Sheik thought about it for a moment. To his annoyance, he did not find a single moment where his mother had not been diligent and thorough in her approach to village security.

"I...guess not," he admitted.

"Then don't you think it's safe to assume that she has done her due diligence in this case as well? That she hasn't just given them the run of the village without absolutely making sure they're no threat?"

"They could have blackmailed her," Sheik suggested, not happy with how Kiro had cut through to the heart of the matter so quickly.

"With what?" Kiro said, laughing. "What could they possibly have on Impa-sama?"

"They could...what if they...and what about..." Sheik tried to feebly find something to counter with, but the idea of someone having dirt on Impa, without her having even worse dirt on _them_ in return, was just...unthinkable. As was the idea of his mother doing as she was told by anyone. Then the idea struck him. "What if she has a secret child somewhere?" he suggested, crouching so he was at eye level with Kiro. "Or," he gasped, "what if that's not even mother anymore—"

Kiro's fist came down swiftly on Sheik's head, knocking him off balance and into a yelping pile at Kiro's feet.

"Now you're reaching and being ridiculous," Kiro said. "Don't jump to stupid conclusions."

Rubbing his head, Sheik glared at him. "Fine, that _may_ have been something of a reach, but still!"

"You know what?" Kiro asked. "I have a revolutionary idea. How about you just go and talk to the guy? Get to know him? Maybe even actually become friends with him? Who knows, he might _really_ be what he claims to be!"

"Preposterous," Sheik said. "He's a villain, and I'll prove it."

Kiro laughed again. "If you say so. In the meantime, grab a pair of mochi, find him, give him one, and bond over sweets. That usually works."

Sheik glared.

Kiro sighed. "Get to know him and make friends with him and you'll be in a better position to find out his nefarious plans."

"That's more like it," Sheik said, heading for the door and pointedly not grabbing the mochis. "Thanks, Kiro!"

"Anytime, my little conspiracy theorist," Kiro called out after him. "Now, to answer Sera..."

* * *

What Sheik wanted was distance, from which he could observe. The last thing he needed was getting close to Link, because that might actually falsely convince him that the Hylian was no threat. And that would be the moment it was all over, because Sheik was apparently the only one in the village who didn't think Link was up to something.

Well, it wasn't going to be easy, but Sheik wasn't about to roll over and accept defeat. He'd get to the bottom of this no matter what!

Of course, the distance thing didn't last very long. The appointed time for his apology came far too quickly for his comfort, and it was with no small amount of trepidation that he ascended the steps and stepped inside the guest house, firmly ignoring the amused looks he got from the guards.

Impa was waiting in the entry hall, along with the two Hylians. To his relief, Paya wasn't there. At least, she was nowhere Sheik could see. He had no doubt his beloved sister was secretly watching, taking pleasure in his discomfort and awkwardness, committing it to her memory so she could remind Sheik again and again.

Because Paya was lovely that way.

"Ah, right on time," Impa said, nodding with approval. "Go ahead, Sheik."

Sheik knew the procedure.

This was hardly the first time Impa had made him formally apologise to someone. Granted, even he had felt it was appropriate the time he'd accidentally blown up the millstone, but in hindsight he'd also felt assisting with transporting the new one from two towns over was more than enough.

He sank to his knees and looked up at Link and Ravio.

Link looked supremely uncomfortably, unable to look Sheik in the eyes, his gaze flitting here and there, never settling on a single point.

Ravio, on the other hand, not only met Sheik's gaze, but held it...and in those eyes was the most threatening look Sheik had ever seen. Ravio's eyes said one thing and one thing only: Tread carefully.

Deep within him, Sheik had a feeling he'd be in no small amount of trouble if there was a repeat of the deku nut incident. And frankly, he wasn't keen on finding out what Ravio would do.

Right.

He looked back at Link, taking a deep breath, and said:

"I am very sorry for blinding you, Link-san, and for the words I spoke to you. It was not behaviour worthy of a host...or a Sheikah, at that. Please, forgive me."

He leaned forward, fighting every urge to groan as every muscle and tendon in his body protested against the movement, bending down until his forehead touched the tatami floor.

It was an act of utmost contrition. It was not only an act to lower himself to the level of dirt, but it bared his neck, allowing the one he was apologising to strike his head off his shoulders should his words not be enough.

Plus, it really fucking hurt right now, after the torture sessions disguised as training.

It was an ancient custom, and only symbolic these days.

He had a feeling, though, that Ravio would gladly make use of the opening should Sheik screw up again. Maybe not cut his head off, but at least do extreme violence upon him.

"P-Please, get up!" Link's voice said, startling Sheik out of the mental image of Ravio stomping on his neck. "I forgive you! I'm sorry for following you, I—"

"He started it," Ravio pointed out, his tone merciless.

Sheik straightened up, remaining on his knees, and found the chibi's eyes locked on him. No way in hell would Sheik ever get off lightly for crossing this kid.

How much of that shyness from before had been real, and how much an act? Impossible to tell.

"I believe the following was quite mutual in nature," Impa said calmly, looking between all three of them with what Sheik recognised as her mediating face. The one she used when settling grievances between the various village chiefs and negotiating with merchants. "My son did escalate the situation, however, and ended it in a most inappropriate manner. I, too, apologise on his behalf. Link-san, you are most gracious in your forgiveness."

Oh, the lady knew how to butter people up. It was how she'd landed some very good trade agreements with settlements on the plains below the mountains.

Link certainly seemed to accept it, nodding and giving her and Sheik a tentative smile. "I still hope we can be friends, Sheik...san?" he said, adding the honorific hesitantly.

Sheik opened his mouth to give an apologetic but firm no, but a very loud (for her, anyways) intake of breath from Impa was all the warning he needed to rethink his words very carefully.

"I...am sure we can be friends, Link-san," he said, each word taking an eon to leave his mouth. "With time."

Impa breathed again, this time out, in a way that was very displeased. What was he supposed to do, make promises he couldn't keep?

Link, however, smiled like Sheik had just promised him the moon. "I'm looking forward to it," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

Next to him, Ravio rolled his eyes, presumably thinking his brother forgave too easily.

But then, wouldn't he? In order to continue his spying activities, he couldn't make a nuisance of himself, and being in a tiff with the chief's son wasn't exactly the best way to go about committing espionage.

"Well, then," Impa said, clapping her hands once and gesturing for Sheik to stand up. "I believe that settles the matter. Link-san, Ravio-san, once again you have my deepest apologies." She bowed at the waist. Sheik followed her lead.

"No apologies are necessary," Link said, bowing as well. The guy was doing his best to fit in, apparently. At least it was a well-executed bow.

As they left the guest house, Sheik looked back one last time. Link gave him a resplendent smile that could not possibly be real. Ravio gave him a death glare that very much was.

Then the doors slid shut, blocking them from view, and Sheik was left to follow his mother at a calm pace through the village. Passing Sheikah stopped to greet their chief, offering a little small talk that Impa engaged in gladly.

Sheik was grateful for the lack of conversation between them. It let him think, consider his next move, and plan ahead. Frankly, this incident had brought him too close to defeat. This apology only convinced him further that he needed to put some distance between himself and Link.

He'd looked tired, in Sheik's opinion. The brothers' ocarina session had calmed him down, but based on the bags under Link's eyes he had not slept much even after they'd gone to bed. Honestly, Sheik was exhausted himself. He doubted he'd be of much use to anyone after supper, his exhaustion already catching up with him.

"Trust me," Impa said suddenly.

Sheik looked up, realising they'd already reached their house, standing outside the door.

"Huh?" he asked.

Impa sighed. "I said, trust me," she repeated. "I don't know what sort of idea you've gotten about our visitors, but they are no threat to us."

Maybe not to you, Sheik thought. The chibi looked like he wanted nothing more than to beat me into a pulp.

"I realise that you, in your own way, only have our best interests at heart," she continued, putting her hand on his shoulder and squeezing surprisingly gently. "But you are going about it entirely the wrong way. Link-san has reached out a hand in friendship, Sheik. I highly suggest you take it."

She gave him no time to answer, disappearing inside the house without another word, heading for her room.

Sheik stared into the air for a while, mulling over his mother's words...and quickly deciding she was far too kind-hearted about these two strangers. Link had batted his long eyelashes at her, and his mother had been spellbound.

It was understandable. Link was, despite his Hylian background, a...fairly attractive man. Delicate, but with a firm core of steel. And he was no stranger to a fight, if his scarred upper body was any indication.

He shook his head and made for his room, wanting to catch a quick nap before supper. Climbing the stairs was agony and took him a few seconds longer than usual. To his surprise, the door to Paya's room was open, the girl herself sitting in a meditative pose in the middle of the space.

"How'd it go?" she asked, her eyes closed.

"It...went," Sheik said carefully. He wasn't sure just how thin the ice he was on was, but he'd rather not extend this avoidance. "They accepted the apology."

"That's good." She took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, and released it. Opening her eyes, she gave Sheik a considering look. "Sore, huh?"

He grimaced. "To say the least. Discovered a couple of new muscles I had no idea were there, though, so that's interesting."

"Hm," Paya said. "Well, at least there was one benefit to you blinding Link-san." She grinned.

"Laugh it up," he said. "When he reveals himself as an assassin, I bet you won't be lambasting me for the nut incident."

"Still suspect he's an assassin, huh?" Paya asked.

Sheik stared at her. "You don't?" he said. "You were just as suspicious as me when they arrived."

"I'm not sure what I think they are anymore," Paya said, shaking her head. "But make no mistake, I am still keeping an eye on them. Until mother decides to reveal to us their origins, they will continue to be an unknown variable."

"And we don't like those," Sheik said.

"Indeed, we do not." She stood up and stretched her arms, and then easily bent forward to touch her toes, knees straight. "And you? What's your plan?"

"I'll continue as I have, for the most part," Sheik said.

"Ah, so you'll keep flashbanging Link-san until he actually goes blind, then?"

"Very funny."

"I thought so." She sighed. "You might wish to back off a little, though. Let's say Link-san is some sort of spy or assassin—this incident will have alerted him to your surveillance. He'll probably be exceedingly careful in the next few days."

"Yeah," Sheik agreed. "That's what I was thinking. I think I'll maintain my distance for a little while. Might not be in the best condition to spy at the moment, anyway."

"Now that doesn't sound like my little brother," Paya said with a snort. "Admitting weakness? You?"

"Turns out a three-day torture session masquerading as a training programme makes me do the strangest things," Sheik said, yawning. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up for supper?"

"Of course, little brother."

"Stop calling me that, you're only six months older than me."

"Six months are six months, _little brother_."

"Eugh..."


	4. Chapter 4

Sheik tried not to think too much about Link for the next couple of days, trying to submerge himself in his studies and training. Obsession was the enemy of reason, as one of his teachers always liked to say. It made one see connections and shadows where there were truly none. Coincidences would no longer be coincidences, and from there one would jump to conclusions.

Sheik realised he'd done just that, and that he'd blinded himself with his suspicion of Link to truly look at the Hylian for what he was.

So, he decided he would take the coming few days to stop thinking about Link, and hopefully come back to the investigation with a fresh mind.

This, unfortunately, turned out to be more difficult than he'd anticipated. During his lessons, he frequently found his mind drifting to the Hylian.

In art lessons with Pikango, he caught himself tracing Link's face onto his canvas more than once.

In music lessons, the sounds of the brothers' ocarinas kept intruding as he read musical notes and transcribed what their teacher had been playing.

During maths lessons...well, his head was filled with maths. Because nothing could banish that shit, apparently.

During sparring sessions, particularly when they were grappling, he kept wondering what fighting Link like this would be like. If he would be able to beat a Sheikah in unarmed combat or if his forte lay in the way of the sword. If he would bare his upper body, if every inch of it be as toned and scarred as the little bit Sheik had seen?

Those thoughts quickly disappeared when Paya suddenly had him on the ground, though, and was trying to twist and bend his joints into positions they weren't meant to.

Bless his sister, bringing his thoughts back into the present.

It was only a temporary bliss, however, as Link now apparently saw fit to invade Sheik's dreams on a nightly basis. As before, Sheik did not feel the hostility he was supposed to either. At best he was neutral towards the Hylian appearing in his slumbering mind. At worst, though, he recalled feeling sympathetic, even supportive of him. Feeling that he wanted to help, to soothe whatever trauma kept stealing his sleep.

This was unacceptable, Sheik decided on the fourth night of dreaming about the bastard. Clearly, trying not to think about Link only made him think _harder_ about him, so what the hell was he supposed to do?

Spy more, of course!

In his way, however, was an obstacle he didn't expect. Truly, he'd expected Link to be more cautious as he went about his business in the village. That business being ingratiating himself with every Sheikah he met, apparently. There was no one he would not stop to talk to or ask a million questions. Not a child he would not amuse or help with little chores. Not a single cat he would not stop to pet or play with.

Granted, that last part was something Sheik could agree on as well.

As he did these things, however, Link was not being overly cautious at all. He was as open (or as seemingly open) as he'd been before the deku nut incident.

Or at least from what Sheik got to see.

The aforementioned obstacle wasn't the elder Hylian at all. It was the younger.

The chibi had taken to walking around with his brother apparently, keeping close to him at all times. Sure, he also played with Ryuji and the other kids, but he had an uncanny ability to apparently sense when Sheik was out and about spying on his brother, and magically appeared at Link's side whenever Sheik had found a good position.

An annoyance, but something Sheik could live with, if only because then he knew exactly where both outsiders were.

The problem, however, was that the chibi seemed to know exactly where Sheik was hiding. No matter where Sheik hid—on rooftops, under carts, in the tall grass, in the bloody pond—Ravio's eyes immediately zeroed in on Sheik, meeting his gaze.

This was infuriating on many levels, mostly because Sheik had always gotten top marks in his stealth training. To anyone else he could disappear...except for this little Hylian boy, apparently.

Strangely enough, Ravio never revealed to Link that they were being watched, content to simply stare Sheik down until he felt so uncomfortable he had to relocate.

Why the fuck the little bastard didn't cut the game short and just tell Link that Sheik was spying on them, he had no idea, but it was quickly getting on his nerves.

When he told Paya about it one night before bed, she simply laughed and said it was cute how protective Ravio was of his big brother.

Obviously, she had not seen the amount of hate that kid could put in one look.

"Hate?" she'd said. "He just looks annoyed to me. Which I would be too if someone was stalking my brother." She'd looked at him pointedly as she said this.

Why was everyone so bad at interpreting looks? Sure, chibi was annoyed, but there was _hatred_ there too.

Maybe it was for the best that only Sheik noticed. He felt himself withering on the inside whenever Ravio spotted him. He wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

Anyway, some sort of fucking magic was at play here, he was certain of it. How else did Ravio know exactly when Sheik was making his observations?

He had to find a way to observe Link without the chibi interfering, but that turned out to be a challenge beyond him. Whenever Sheik was in proximity of Link, Ravio would appear. Some sort of Little Brother Sense was clearly alerting Ravio that Link was under observation.

His attempts to find a way, however, were disastrous. The one time he came close to being able to watch Link without interference from Ravio was when Link went to the communal baths at the hot spring tucked away near the edge of the woods.

Sheik had borrowed one of the craftsmen's small drills and made a hole in the fence that separated the men's section from outside prying eyes. He'd made the hole in the tall grass near the cliffside, where no one would be able to see him squatting and looking in.

The chibi was asleep. Sheik knew this for a fact. Had seen the little bastard snoring loudly after a long morning and early afternoon of fighting in an imaginary battle alongside his Sheikah allies. Link had even tucked him into his futon before leaving for the bath.

Link had chosen to go between the two main rush times for the baths, presumably so he could have some privacy. It meant he was more or less alone in the bath.

The fool.

Sheik grinned to himself, keeping an eye on the door that led to the washroom, excited for the moment the door would open, revealing his target.

And open it did.

Sheik's mouth dropped open as Link stepped inside the spring area with little more than a towel preserving his modesty. He was wet from washing, his hair dripping.

Sheik had spent some time imagining what Link looked like under his clothes, as a way to gauge just how formidable of a warrior he was, and how much trouble he'd be to face in battle should the worst come to pass.

Based on what Sheik was seeing, there was going to be a lot of trouble. More scars, naturally. Link had clearly been a popular target at some point. Shadows of cuts, nicks, and stab wounds littered his body, a map of the killing intent aimed at him. But in return, whatever warrior's life he'd been leading so far had left him with a body built to handle it. Every step he took, every twist of his torso caused his well-defined muscles to ripple with movement. There was not a speck of superfluous fat.

If anything, he needed more of that because right then there was barely anything to protect what lay beneath his skin.

Sheik closed his mouth, watching as Link approached the edge of the spring, preparing to drop the towel. He leaned in closer, his entire face pressed up against the rough wood of the fence. Just a moment, and Link would be at his most vulnerable, and Sheik could finally see the man for what he was...

Link undid the knot holding his towel up, and let go of the fabric—

"Over here! Come on! Let's go!"

Sheik's body acted on its own at the sound of shouting children, dropping him into the tall grass just in time as a bunch of kids came running past, being chased by none other than Ravio.

A rousing game of tag for the sleepyhead, apparently. So much for nap time.

Sheik watched them through the slightest gap in the blades of grass, watching as they disappeared into the small wooded area just beyond the baths. As Ravio passed, his eyes met Sheik's. It was only for a moment, but it seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and there was no question about Ravio having actually spotted him, because those blue eyes were once more filled with warnings and promises of extreme physical pain.

And then Ravio, along with the others, was gone, their game continuing among the trees.

Sheik needed a moment to recover from that. How the chibi always knew exactly where he was, Sheik didn't understand.

He sat up after a moment and dared to look through the hole in the fence again. Link was in the water now, having sunk into it up to his chin. His eyes were closed, and he sighed in a very content manner.

Sheik reluctantly withdrew from the hole he'd made in the fence, somehow convinced that Ravio would soon return.

And Sheik wasn't keen on being there when he did. Especially not in such a compromising position.

Bath peepers were mercilessly punished, after all.

That night, Sheik dreamed of Link yet again. He'd never admit to anyone what he woke up with.

* * *

"You know, you _could_ just try to make friends with him," Paya suggested for the millionth time as they stretched in preparation for the afternoon's sparring session. "Mana said she gave him a mochi and he spent the rest of the day chattering excitedly and begging her to teach him to make them."

"Good for Mana," Sheik said, crossing yet another ally off his mental list of people who had yet to fall under Link's sway. There were _very_ few names left on it, now. "Now he has her recipes."

Was there nothing he wouldn't steal?

Paya rolled her eyes and went back to her stretching, to Sheik's relief. She wasn't going to waste her energy trying to convince him today, it seemed.

"All right, is everyone ready?" their instructor, Akira, said as he entered the dojo, looking carefree as usual. He nodded at the calls of affirmative he got in return. "Very well. Line up, then."

They did as they were told, but something was off. Usually Akira would immediately divide them into pairs and have them start practising the standard katas and moves before moving on to the sparring in the centre ring. Today, however, he paused to give them a slight grin.

"I have a surprise for you today," he said, looking smug.

"What's the surprise, sensei?" Paya asked, her hand raised.

"Wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?" Akira said. "You'll know it when you see it. Anyway, let us divide into pairs. You and you, you and you, you and you..."

As the session began, with randomly chosen partners facing each other and going through the repertoire of moves and counters, Sheik couldn't get his mind off whatever surprise lay in store for them. Surprises were just a fact of life within the clan. Rarely, though, were they informed of one beforehand.

Generally because said surprises consisted of someone shouting "Surprise assassination! Now survive!" followed by the being surprised immediately getting attacked.

Sheik usually did quite well because he was always expecting something to go wrong or badly somehow. One time he'd even managed to clock Kiro in the face the second he popped out of the barrel he'd been hiding in. His nose was still slightly crooked because of it.

Presumably, this was Akira-sensei's idea of a joke, knowing his students would drive themselves half-crazy trying to figure out what he was planning...and giving him plenty of opportunities to needle them for the subsequent drops in their performance.

Well, not Sheik's. He'd been drilled on these moves so many times in the course of his childhood he could do them in his sleep. His opponent, not so much. Rama was clearly distracted by the idea of a surprise, and Sheik easily broke through his defences without even trying.

"Well, I think that does it for warming up," Akira-sensei said after about twenty minutes of watching his students. "Didn't realise it'd take just a little mystery to trip you guys up so much. We'll have to work on that. Anyway, gather around the circle, please. It's time to spar. We'll start with your assigned pairs, and then randomise the matchups. First one's back to hit the floor loses."

Sheik and Rama were first up. The larger boy's mind had cleared a little by the time they were facing each other in the ring, and it took some effort for Sheik to bring him down. But where Rama had the brawn, Sheik had the flexibility and agility, and Rama couldn't pin him down. Sheik waited for an opportunity and took it when it arrived. He brought Rama off-balance and, using his own weight against him, brought the brawny bastard to the floor.

"Well done, both of you," Akira-sensei said, nodding. "Rama, you'll want to work on not letting a faster opponent bring you off-balance."

"Yes, sensei," Rama said, bowing.

"And Sheik, you took a little long to bring him down," their teacher continued, looking at him. "You need to identify weaknesses faster when fighting a larger, stronger opponent. If this had been a real fight, if he'd gotten his hands on you, you'd be dead within seconds."

"Yes, sensei," Sheik said, also bowing.

When your teacher spoke, you listened. Even if he was a sadistic bastard about secrets.

"Next pair!"

Sheik took his place at the edge of the circle, watching as pair after pair of Sheikah fought each other. Everyone winced a little when Paya entered the ring with her opponent. No one envied Paya's opponents.

There was a loud thud as he hit the floor, screaming "Argh!"

Sheik was good at grappling, though he preferred bladed weapons. Paya, however, had made grappling into an art form. There was nothing she enjoyed more than absolutely destroying her enemi—er, opponents in the sparring ring, trying to give them new joints.

Coincidentally, she was also excellent at origami.

"Well done, Paya, that was very quick!" Akira-sensei praised, faltering a little. "Er, Paya, you can stop now. Paya!"

"Just trying to give Ollo a good stretch," she said innocently, finally ending his torment.

"Trying to rip my arm out of its socket, more like," Ollo said with a grumble.

Akira-sensei gave her a look. "We've talked about this."

"I'm sorry, sensei," Paya said, not regretful in the slightest. She always got away with this shit. Mostly because Sheik had a feeling Paya could easily take Akira-sensei if they were ever matched up in a real fight.

"Right, next up—"Akira-sensei began, but was interrupted by one of the assistant instructors entering the room. "Yes?"

"He's here, sensei."

Akira-sensei smiled. "Ah, excellent. Send him in." He turned to his students. "The surprise has arrived!"

Honestly, at this point, Sheik should have known.

Why he was still surprised when Link, his hair pulled back in a short ponytail, stepped into the room, dressed in the same _gi_ as the Sheikah students, he had no idea.

Because it had to be out of the surprise his chest felt like it was about to explode, right? Surprise and rage.

At least the chibi was nowhere to be seen for once...but then maybe he was observing from somewhere hidden nearby.

"Some of you," Akira-sensei began, pausing, "well, _most_ of you have met him already, but I'd like to introduce you to Link-san, who is currently our guest. I invited him here today." He turned to Link and bowed, which Link returned. "I understand you have some experience in the art of hand-to-hand combat, Link-san?"

Link immediately zeroed in on Sheik in the crowd of Sheikah, and...was that a fucking _smile_?! What the hell was he so happy about?!

"Some, yes," Link said, looking back at Akira-sensei. "I mostly fight with a sword, but I've had to rely on my hands a couple of times and learned a few tricks." He grinned a little, and there was a nervous edge to it that Sheik immediately noticed. What was he nervous about? "Not half as elegant as what you are taught, I bet, but it gets the job done."

"Well-said, Link-san," Akira-sensei said with an approving nod. "While it is true that our style adheres to routine and a repertoire of practised movements, it matters little if you cannot use them to finish a fight or, as you say, _get the job done_."

Link ducked his head, his cheeks colouring little at the praise. Fuck, it was almost cute.

All an act, of course.

"Now, my little ducklings," Akira-sensei said, clapping his hands together loudly. "Shall we see how a lifetime of training measures up against real combat experience? Who would like to face Link-san in the ring?"

Sheik's hand shot up before he could even think about it, waving it about desperately. "Me!" he exclaimed. "I will face him!"

Finally, an opportunity to confront the bastard. He'd humiliate Link in the ring, and then demand that he reveal his plans and confess to whatever heinous crime he was in the village to commit. His mother would finally see reason!

If he imagined this occurring in a glorious coliseum in front of an adoring crowd, no one needed to know.

"Well, someone's eager," Akira-sensei said with a grin. "What do you say, Link-san? Care to face one of our clan heirs in the ring?"

"I'd love to," Link said, sounding completely earnest, even though Sheik _knew_ he was quaking on the inside. He had to be.

"Din above, save me," Paya muttered somewhere to Sheik's right.

Oh, Din would be watching, all right. She'd bear witness to Sheik's great victory over the Hylian invader. As he stepped into the ring opposite the Hylian, he mentally recited one of the litanies of battle dedicated to his matron Goddess in his head. It was little more than a request for her to witness his defeating a fool who, in her sight, had been a complete bastard.

The opponents stood at opposite sides of the ring, watching each other.

"Now, Link-san, Sheik," Akira-sensei said behind the line. "I want a proper fight, but please refrain from doing permanent damage to each other. That means no eye-gouging, bone-breaking or biting. I will interfere if I see things going too far. The victor is the first to pin his opponent. Is that understood?"

Well, shit. Those were all of Sheik's trump cards. Oh well, he didn't need them. He'd force Link into submission regardless.

"Understood," Link and Sheik said at the same time.

"Very well. Are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ready!"

"Then, you may begin!"

It wasn't the explosive clash Sheik had expected. He didn't trust Link, and wanted to see what the Hylian would do before throwing himself into the bout. Apparently, Link had the same idea, and for the first few moments all they did was circle each other slowly.

Then, Link made the first move. One moment he was the edge of the circle, the next he was within Sheik's reach, one hand reaching out to grab at him. Sheik side-stepped the advance and grabbed Link's outstretched wrist, intending to use the same move on him as he had Rama.

Just a matter of directing force and momentum _just so_ , and—

Link lurched to the side, shattering Sheik's plan and forcing _him_ off-balance instead, bending down at the waist and threatening to put Sheik on his back right then and there. A hasty twist as Sheik was going through the air ensure he landed on his feet after letting go of Link's wrist.

The Hylian left him no time to recover, though, immediately stepping back into Sheik's space, trying to wrap him arms around Sheik and trap him. Sheik dodged out of the way, using the speed he'd built up to stay out of Link's reach.

It became somewhat a game of cat and mouse, each of them trying and failing to trap the other in an inescapable hold or grip. Link's style was crude and mostly improvised, really more of a brawler than a disciplined fighter, but he clearly knew what he was doing because he kept coming and refusing to let Sheik recover and reset, which prevented him from using the moves meant for his sort of enemy.

Around the ring, the Sheikah were watching with rapt attention, mostly quiet save for a gasp here and there whenever one managed to corner the other or escape a close call.

Sheik was no fool. Like with Rama, he knew the fight would be over the moment Link got a proper hold of him. Their clashes revealed that the Hylian's arms were pure muscle, as was his core. His footwork was that of a swordsman, though, and not the best suited for a grappler, which was what kept Sheik from getting cornered more than once.

This was bad.

They'd been at it for only a few minutes, but Sheik was already feeling tired. The fucker just wouldn't give him a moment to think, always there to grab him.

Well, from what Sheik could see, Link mostly used his arms.

Which meant Sheik had an approach Link was ill-suited to counter.

He ducked under Link's grab and threw himself forwarding, purposefully tangling his legs with Link's and using his weight to take the Hylian's footing away.

They hit the floor with equally bothered grunts, and immediately continued where they'd left off.

But this was Sheik's territory. His flexibility meant he wasn't as easy to pin as Link had probably hoped, especially not since he didn't know the various choke holds and other pinning moves that Sheik had been taught since he was old enough to walk.

On the other hand, just because Link couldn't get a proper hold of Sheik—who was doing his best to be as slippery as a snake—didn't mean that Sheik's struggle was over. Because Link was heavy and strong, and managed to break Sheik's attempts at pinning him with relatively little effort.

More than once did Sheik believe he'd won the fight and was waiting for Akira-sensei to announce it when Link suddenly broke free and reversed their position, forcing Sheik once more to wiggle like a fish on land to avoid the Hylian Arms of Doom.

"Come on, Sheik, you can take him!" someone shouted.

"Go on, Link-san! You've almost got him now!" someone else said.

That seemed to break the spell of silence that had been cast over the rest of the Sheikah, and soon the sounds of grunts and panting had been replaced by supporting shouts for either opponent. Usually, Akira-sensei didn't tolerate such excessive noise in his dojo, but this was clearly an exception to the rule.

Or maybe he just knew there was no point in trying to get a group of Sheikah adolescents to be quiet in a situation like this.

Hell, once Sheik could've sworn he heard his sensei's voice cut through the noise, offering advice. To whom, he wasn't sure.

It'd better be for Sheik, or he'd consider Akira-sensei a traitor.

The match couldn't continue for much longer. Sheik was getting tired, and he was incredibly hot, sweat pouring down his forehead and into his eyes, his breath coming in short pants. Link was much in the same way except for his breathing, which was still quite a bit calmer than Sheik's.

Better stamina. Unacceptable.

He needed to pin Link, and now. Otherwise there was a very good chance he'd lose, and that could not be allowed to happen. He'd never live it down. He'd forever be branded as the clan heir who'd lost the first fight—real or practice—against a Hylian in years.

Everyone already thought he was paranoid, and they would be too enamoured with this Hylian interloper to ever bother with listening to Sheik again. And that meant they'd be vulnerable to whatever Link was planning to do to them.

There was more than just his honour at stake here!

"Sorry," he panted, finally seeing an opening he could use. It'd require some finesse, but Link wouldn't see it coming. "But it...ends here..."

He managed to grab Link's arm with both his hands and, with a sudden, jerky movement, brought it down over his shoulder. It was working! Sheik felt Link's weight shift with the movement, waiting to feel and see the Hylian's body get thrown over his shoulder and onto the floor, ready to be grappled into submission—

Link stopped moving. Sheik took just a moment too long to register what had happened. That moment was all Link needed. Suddenly, both his arms were wrapped around Sheik's middle, his back pressed to Link's chest, which felt like a brick wall.

Then Sheik was suddenly being lifted into the air, quickly dipping back towards the ground as Link let himself fall backwards, bending his back so Sheik's shoulder was the first thing to hit the floor.

The fall was relatively soft, but it still rattled Sheik to his very core.

Before he could recover, he was rolled onto his stomach, a heavy weight settled on his lower back, and both his arms were wrenched behind his back and his wrists pushed up towards his shoulder blades.

It was impossible to move—no matter what he tried he couldn't shift Link's weight, and trying to move his arms only resulted in his shoulders flaring up with pain.

He was pinned.

Link had won.

One side of the crowd broke out in cheers while the other looked disappointed. Akira-sensei clapped, whistling loudly to calm everyone down.

"And we have a winner," he declared. "Well done, both of you!"

Sheik glared at the floor as he felt Link's hands release his wrists, the Hylian's weight easing off his lower back. Sheik remained on the floor, however, not sure if he was ready to face a world where he'd just been soundly beaten by his mortal enemy yet. His chest was tight, his stomach roiling, his face boiling hot.

"I must say, Link-san, despite your lack of training or familiarity with the Sheikah style, you showed a remarkable ability to adapt to and counter it," Akira-sensei continued, undoubtedly blinded by the inevitable hypnotising smile on the Hylian's face. "That finishing move was not something I expected."

"It's...come in handy a few times," Link's voice said, sounding bashful.

Even now his acting skills were superb.

"Well, I look forward to seeing more of it, if you would care to stay and train with us?" Akira-sensei said, pausing when he realised Sheik hadn't gotten up yet. "Sheik, are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm perfect, sensei," he said, voice muffled by the tatami floor.

"Then please get up, would you? I'm sure someone else would like a chance to face Link-san."

"Here," Link's voice said. "Let me give you a hand."

Growling, Sheik rolled over, staring up at the flushed face of his most hated enemy. Even sweaty and red-faced, the bastard looked unfairly composed and chiselled. Sheik felt his stomach lurch again.

Out of disgust, likely.

His hand was outstretched, offering to pull Sheik up.

"Since I won, does that mean I get a prize?" Link asked, half-jokingly. "How about your friendship?"

"A worthy and well-deserved prize, Link-san," Akira-sensei said happily.

Something snapped inside Sheik. He slapped Link's hand away, standing up somewhat awkwardly, pointing at the Hylian.

"Don't you fucking dare!" he shouted. "I know what you're up to!"

Link's smile faltered. "I don't understand—"

"I know what you're up to!" Sheik repeated, his voice rising to a high pitch. "Oh, you come in here with your friendly attitude and _oh I just want to be friends_ , dragging your adorable little brother with you! But I see through the charade! It's all an act! Just there to lull us all into a false sense of security so you can steal our secrets!"

"Sheik, I don't—"

"Hyrule just couldn't leave us alone, huh?! No, of course not! They sent you to steal the secrets we took with us, because no way in hell can they stand the idea of us living on!" He stomped his foot on the floor when Akira-sensei opened his mouth, cutting his teacher off. "And don't think I don't know what your other objective is, either!"

Link's mouth was open, but nothing came out, a helpless look on his face as Sheik stripped down his defences and revealed his plans like it was nothing. His hand had dropped to dangle limply at his side.

"It's not enough to steal our secrets, no! You're here to kill my mother, too! Have to leave us all in chaos, after all! But that turned out to be harder than you thought, because I saw through you from the beginning, so now you're focusing on eliminating me first! Hah, no chance!" He marched up to Link, their faces inches apart (the Hylian's an infuriatingly small amount higher than his). "Admit it! Admit that you have ulterior motives!"

"Sheik, that's enough—"Akira-sensei tried to break in, but Link's mouth finally moved.

"I...yes, I do have motives, but they're not—"

"I knew it!"

He didn't hear what else came out of Link's mouth, too focused on the fact that he'd just gotten Link to admit it. If all he'd had to do was scream in his face, he'd have done it much earlier.

Well, only one thing left to do, now!

"Sheik!" Akira-sensei barked, but Sheik had already turned on his heels and was heading for the door, the small sea of Sheikah parting around him. "Where are you going? I didn't dismiss you!"

"I'm telling mother!" Sheik shouted. "She needs to know we have a spy among us! Apparently, I'm the only one around here who actually cares about village security!"

He shoved the dojo doors open, intending to head for his mother's house immediately...only to come face to face with said mother in the street, evidently on her way to the dojo.

Her face was blank, but her eyes, particularly her left one, were blazing.

"Sheik," she said, her tone even and perfectly controlled. That was a bad sign. "A word, if I may?"

Oh.

Well, this saved him some time!

"Mother, I just heard him confess—"he began, but Impa silenced him with a gesture.

"Not here. At the house. Come. Now." She turned and marched away, expecting him to follow. Which he did. Because he wasn't suicidal.

Behind them, the dojo doors closed silently. No one dared interfere.

His mother remained quiet on the walk back to their house, only shutting down Sheik whenever he tried to start explaining what had just happened. The rage from before had died down to a smoulder now, but it was still as hot as before. Just less chaotic.

"In," Impa said as they reached the house, sliding the door open and waiting for him to go inside. "Sit."

Sheik kneeled on the tatami floor, his heart pounding. This was a critical time. He needed to make sure Impa understood what he'd just discovered, but if he didn't manage to do that in time...

"I was looking forward to seeing the future warriors of the clan sparring with our Hylian guest. To see how their skills measured up against a young but experienced warrior," Impa said before Sheik could put his thoughts in order. Her eyes were closed, a slight crinkle in her brow betraying her annoyance. "Particularly, how my future heirs would be able to put earlier grievances with said warrior aside and simply compete against him to the best of their abilities."

She opened her eyes and fixed Sheik with a stare that would have scared the god of death themselves.

"Imagine my surprise when I arrive at the dojo and hear my own son flinging wild and unsubstantiated accusations and conjecture at a guest of the clan. A guest who, I might add, have been nothing but polite and courteous to our people, has expressed an interest in learning about and taking part in our culture, and was even willing to let a legitimate issue go in favour of extending a hand in friendship."

Sheik's mouth was dry, his breaths coming and going in short bursts. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He'd finally managed to corner and make Link admit that he wasn't just there for a friendly visit, and yet _he_ was the one getting yelled at?

"Why is it, Sheik, that I had to witness such an embarrassing and insulting display?"

His mind still refusing to cooperate, all Sheik could think to say in his defence was: "He beat me, and I—"

"In the sparring ring?" Impa said, raising an eyebrow. "Truly a heinous action worthy of accusations of premeditated murder and theft."

"That's not..." Sheik paused, trying to calm himself down. "Mother, he confessed. To my face. In front of everyone."

At last, he had _witnesses_!

Impa's face remained unimpressed. "To what?" she asked.

"To..." he paused again. "To having ulterior motives."

Impa nodded minutely. "I see, and what ulterior motives would those be?"

Well...

Sheik had never bothered actually listening to what Link had confessed to. What his motives were. Other than ulterior, of course. Well, in the context...

"To being here to steal our secrets and assassinate you. After assassinating me."

Impa's face turned into stone. "And...did you actually hear Link-san say these things? Did anyone in that dojo hear him confess to being here in the role of a thief and assassin?"

"Well, not really, but—"

"So, in truth," Impa cut him off, "all you heard was Link-san admit to having ulterior motives."

"Yeah!"

Impa took a deep breath, reaching up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "My son, you realise that ulterior motives need not necessarily be negative, do you not?"

Obviously, Sheik thought. But what did that have to do with this Hylian bastard? He nodded, but otherwise said nothing.

Impa sighed. "Well, could it possibly be that Link-san has ulterior motives that, in the end, would be nothing but a net gain? Such as wanting to make a friend of, say, a certain clan heir?"

"No?" Sheik said. "Because he's here to assassi—"

"Sheik," Impa said abruptly, interrupting him. "Enough. I have tried to make you behave, even encouraged you and Link to have a fresh start, but clearly this relationship is dead in the water."

"Yes, which is why—"

"I am talking now, Sheik."

"Sorry."

Impa pinched her nose again. "I thought you'd be mature enough to put your suspicions aside, but at this point there is just no salvaging the situation." She straightened up and gave him a long look. "I forbid you from going near Link-san. You will stay away from him and his little brother."

Sheik gaped. "What? You can't do that!"

"I'm your chief, of course I can," Impa said simply. "Even if you don't see fit to listen to that authority, I am _also_ your mother. You _will_ obey. If I see or hear from anyone that you have been near the two of them, I will have to think of some very creative punishments. And I think we both know what happens when I get creative."

Nightmares were what happened when Impa got creative. Sheik stared at her. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to listen to him, hear his concerns, and then investigate and hopefully imprison Link for espionage!

"I don't...understand," he said slowly. "Why won't you listen to me? He's up to something, I swear—"

"Sheik, please" Impa said, sounding exhausted. "Just...do as I say. Stay away from them. Now, go to your room and stay there. You are under house arrest for the time being. I'll let you know when supper is ready."

The fight in him was extinguished in the face of his mother's exhaustion and frustration, and Sheik rose shakily to his feet. "I just...do you really trust them that much?" he asked, desperate.

"I do," Impa said immediately. "And I hoped you would trust me enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Clearly, I was wrong." She stood up, pointing to the stairs. "Room, now." Then she left the house.

Conversation over.

Sheik stood silently for a moment, fists clenched, feeling the warm, prickling tears of frustration in his eyes. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot. He just needed a new approach.

Growling, he ran up the stairs and dove into his futon, burying himself under the comforter, beginning to scheme.


	5. Chapter 5

Being under house arrest was nothing new to Sheik.

This was hardly the first time he'd annoyed his mother to the point where she saw fit to shield him from the village (or the village from him, depending on what he'd done to earn the house arrest).

Usually he managed to find something with which to occupy his time and energy, if only because the house arrests only lasted for a few days at the most, ostensibly to give him to think about what he'd done.

This one, however, had already lasted for a week, and he was about to walk on the walls in an attempt to alleviate his boredom. The mornings and afternoons weren't bad, as Impa took it upon herself to continue his lessons and physical training, but the evenings stretched on for an eternity.

Worse still, he kept thinking about Link. He'd told himself on the first day of his house arrest that he would put the Hylian out of his mind. That he would trust his mother and her, admittedly, keen sense for people. At the very least he hoped that his own suspicions had given her cause to maybe keep a closer eye on the Hylian.

It had worked for about five minutes before Link invaded his mind once more...but something was different about these thoughts.

For one thing, they revolved a lot around the fact that Sheik felt oddly triumphant about confirming Link's strength. The muscles and scars he'd seen under his yukata that night, and then what he'd seen in the hot spring, had clearly not been for show, and the fight between them had demonstrated he wasn't inexperienced in a grapple, either.

His chest had been so firm...like steel...

He shook his head. Anyway, so the bastard was a warrior, without a doubt.

But what could possibly have made him so...sad? Actually, it wasn't just sadness he'd seen on Link's face the night Sheik had hidden under the rose bush. There'd been grief, there. A longing for someone, a sense of immense loss.

That's the impression Sheik had gotten, anyway, and analysing it in hindsight only made that clearer. That look had been on the chibi's face too, though he'd done a better job of covering it up, presumably in the interest of cheering his older brother up.

What had they lost? _Who_ had they lost?

Friends? Family? Both?

They'd mentioned a 'her' in all this. Someone who'd sent them away.

Sheik sighed, lying back on top of his futon, staring at the ceiling and its patterned wood texture. He'd gotten very familiar with those patterns by now.

Was it really just a matter of shelter? Had Impa agreed to house the two of them to protect them?

From what, then?

Sheik frowned, closing his eyes.

Darkness helped him think.

Had he interpreted this the wrong way entirely? Instead of Link trying to pull a coup...maybe someone had tried to take _his_ throne, wherever it was? An ally had sent them away for their protection, presumably giving their life for them in the process.

Link had kept saying he'd failed them. Been too weak to...do something. Protect them, maybe?

He drew a deep breath, his heart stinging a little.

Could it be true?

Surely not.

Because if it were, then that meant Sheik had been...

He groaned, covering his face and grinding his thumbs into his eyelids, causing the darkness to explode with stars and suns.

If that were true, then Link's overtures of friendship had been genuine, rather than attempts to get Sheik to drop his guard. Which meant that Sheik had not only rebuked him twice quite rudely, but more or less answered his friendly hellos with murder accusations.

Yeah, that was not good, no matter what way one looked at it. Well, one could say Sheik had his reasons, but...

No, there was no way for him to look good coming out of this situation if that were the case.

He stopped rubbing his eyelids, letting the internal fireworks display slowly come to an end until he was shrouded in darkness once more.

Dark like a fucking labyrinth in the middle of the deep woods during a heavy rainstorm.

He sighed. He wouldn't be able to settle this on his own. He needed advice. Clarity. He'd ask his mother, but she wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise and simply tell him he was wrong. Paya would likely be the same, having expressed her own disappointment in the way he'd handled being beaten in the sparring ring.

And that was the number of people he could currently ask to listen to him.

He rose from his futon to pad around his room, bare feet shuffling against the tatami. He reached his window and leaned his elbows on the sill, staring out into the twilight. He let his eyes follow the small river that ran through the village, to the red bridge and...

...and to the shrine of Din set up beside the stairs to the main temple.

Well, if there was ever a situation where a Goddess would have helpful insight, surely this would be it?

Nodding to himself, Sheik went to back to his futon to lay down and wait until night had fallen.

* * *

Sneaking out of the house was surprisingly easy. Clearly Impa expected Sheik to obey her without question and had neglected to put extra guards in place to make sure he didn't sneak out at night.

He felt a little guilty at that. His mother still trusted him to some extent, and he was betraying it once more.

But, he reminded himself, it was for a good cause!

He made his way along the streets, dodging the odd patrol, and quickly found himself beside the small shrine to Din near the temple. It had been built a few feet off the road, which afforded him the protection of shadows cast by the trees. He kneeled in front of the shrine and put his hands together in the quietest clap he could manage, bowing.

"Mighty Din," he muttered under his breath. "I humbly request your help. Your insight. Your clarity."

He paused, considering his words.

"I do not know what to do. The Hylian, Link, is someone I cannot wrap my head around. One moment I am suspicious, the next I feel...sympathetic. His circumstances are most definitely shrouded in mystery, but my mother vouches for him. I have..." he paused again. "Tried to discover for myself what his purpose here is, but all I have found is a mystery that I am unable to solve."

His words failed him then, for a brief moment. From somewhere in the woods, there was the snap of a branch. Sheik tensed up, but remained where he was, his hand ready to reach for the knife he'd stuffed into his belt.

When nothing more happened, he relaxed. Probably just some animal who was more afraid of him than he'd be of it.

He focused on the shrine, assuming the prayer position once more.

"I realise I may have acted rashly. Instead of listening to what Link had to say, I brushed his attempts at friendship aside and called him a spy, and...now that I have had some time to think about it, I believe I was very wrong to do so."

He released a shaky breath. "Maybe I let the old stories blind me. I saw Hylian and immediately assumed Hyrule was here to finish the job it started, back when the clan left. I didn't stop to think or even ask Link where he was from. Hyrule's hardly the only place you'll find Hylians, after all."

He chuckled.

"Geography was never my strongest subject. My mother...I was wrong to doubt her. Maybe I...imagined myself as the only voice of reason...when I should have realised that she would never have allowed them into the village if she had not made certain they were no threat to begin with. I only realised that recently."

He snorted with derision, mostly aimed at himself.

"After she outright told me."

He shook his head.

"So...I went about it wrong. I have realised that. I will not...spy on him any longer. Should not even go near him, even. I am not even allowed to, in fact."

Now for the confusing part he didn't understand. He took another deep breath.

"But there is something else. I can't stop thinking about him. I want to know more about him. I...I need to know what has hurt him so much. Why he is so sad? What it would take to...to make him happy. I..." He cleared his throat, finally saying what he'd been afraid to admit for the past few hours. "I want to see him smile. I don't understand why. At first this was just suspicion, but now it's something else, and I can't identify what it is. It's more than just idle curiosity, but other than that I don't understand what it is."

He sighed, bowing his head. "Please, I humbly beg for your wisdom. Help me understand."

Now, Sheik was a proud worshipper of Din. Of the Three Sisters, the fiery Goddess of Power was the one he felt represented the things he believed in the most. At one point he had even strongly considered studying under the priests and priestesses of Din to achieve greater understanding of what she stood for.

And to train as a warrior priest of Din, of course.

That said, Sheik did not believe in divine intervention. He had come Din's shrine to ask for her help, but he did not expect an answer. Prayer was meant to be a way for a worshipper to reflect and think, and hopefully arrive at a conclusion or achieve some sort of personal revelation.

That's why it came as a great shock to him when Din answered.

Her answer did not arrive in the shape of a mighty warrior goddess appearing before him in a blaze of glory, a deep voice thundering across the village and telling him exactly what he needed to hear, or indeed just explain the whole confusing mess in a way only a god could.

No, Din's answer was a mere whisper on the wind. Mere fragments of words, barely audible even to him.

_"...a destined meeting...two souls from different paths...though opposites, a bond is formed...unbreakable...to last a lifetime..."_

Sheik felt his entire body breaking out in goose bumps, a shiver running through him. The voice of a Goddess...what else could it be? Cryptic and vague, never appearing in the form one expected...this was exactly the way the texts described it.

The realisation struck him in the wake of her words. Of course. He and Link...there was definitely an element of them being opposites here, and...well, opposites attract, as they say. Link's insistence on them being friends must have meant he felt the exact same pull as well, only he hadn't had suspicion and hostility covering it up.

Fuck, he'd been so blind!

He needed to talk to Link. To set things straight. Get to the bottom of it.

But...how?

He bowed his head to the shrine once more. "Th-Thank you, Great Din," he said, stuttering a little, because was this the appropriate way to thank a god who'd personally taken a moment to settle his mental unease?

He stood up, bowing to the shrine and clapping twice, feeling brave enough to clap normally this time.

"I remain your servant, in this life and the next," he said, bowing one final time and stepping away from the shrine.

Back on the road, he turned in the direction of the guest house, intending to head there right away and ask (or beg, possibly) for a moment of Link's time. Until he remembered that he was under house arrest. If anyone spotted him, guards or otherwise, he'd be ratted out and immediately taken back to his room...and this time Impa might make good on her threats to nail his window shut.

"Shit," he muttered. "How the hell do I get to him?"

Trying to sneak in now was too risky. Impa had probably assigned extra guards around the guest house anyway. Just on the offchance that Sheik decided to make another attempt at uncovering Link's nefarious plans.

No.

Tonight was not the night. He needed to go home, and plan.

With any luck, Impa would lift his house arrest the next morning and allow him to make another apology to Link.

Well, that was the optimistic, best case scenario.

Best case scenarios always remained conspicuously absent whenever Sheik made plans.

In which case he'd probably need outside help.

Or...

Maybe...

Inside help.

He needed to talk Paya.

He turned back in the direction of Impa's house and went home.

* * *

Morning took ages to arrive. Sheik lay awake for most of the night, fighting the desire to just get up and knock on Paya's door to ask for her help. Luckily. he managed to stop himself from doing that, as he highly doubted his sister would be inclined to be of assistance if he woke her up in the middle of the night.

As a result, however, he was a wreck that morning, his responses to questions slow to come. Even Impa saw fit to comment on it during breakfast, giving him an odd look from across the table.

"You seem tired," she noted. "How much did you sleep?"

"Not much," he muttered. "Not for the lack of trying, though."

"Must have been thinking, right?" Paya suggested. "About what he's done? Perhaps he's learned his lesson, mother. Maybe we can arrange a meeting—"

"Not quite yet, I think," Impa said, interrupting her. "I've been willing to overlook indiscretions from you before, Sheik, because they only affected internal matters. You could have done some serious damage to Link's relationship with this village, and I'd like to give him a little time to recover before I risk re-introducing you. I'm sorry to say, the house arrest remains in effect until I say so."

"Understood," Sheik replied, too tired to argue, punctuated with a large yawn that any other day would've resulted in a tongue lashing about etiquette (and his lack thereof).

Impa maintained a reputation outside the village for being cold and merciless. Within the village, she was known as stern and firm in her beliefs and actions, but good to her people. The Sheikah respected, loved, and feared her in equal measure.

None of them would've believed their eyes or ears, however, if they witnessed what happened next.

"Perhaps, given your lack of sleep on account of _thinking on your actions_ ," she said with emphasis on the last part of her sentence, "and because I believe you are about to fall asleep in your miso...I shall be...lenient about your schedule for today."

Sheik looked at her, eyes half-lidded. "Huh?" he asked, intelligently.

"No lessons today," Impa said. "Or training. You're still under house arrest, but I have matters to attend to outside the village that will likely take all day and most of the evening. So, get some rest, and finish your essay in the afternoon."

"What essay?" Sheik asked, confused.

"The one you're going to write on the nature of village leadership and the importance of having faith in those who only want what is best for you," Impa said, finishing her dish and standing up. "Paya, I think—"

"I will follow my regular schedule, mother," Paya said. "I do not want to fall behind on my studies."

"Hm, very well," Impa said, nodding before fixing Sheik with another look. "Finish your breakfast, then go get some sleep. I don't know when I will be back, but it will likely be late. Perhaps not even till tomorrow. Paya, I leave you in charge of the house until then. Please return here immediately after your lessons."

She didn't have to tell Paya, but even Sheik could hear the unspoken 'Keep your brother out of trouble' in that request.

"Yes, mother," Paya said, nodding obediently. For some reason, Sheik saw a gleam of excitement in her eyes. That usually didn't bode well for Sheik, especially not if she was temporarily in charge of the household.

But at the moment he was too tired to really worry about it, his thoughts running through his head at the pace of syrup. Besides, Paya would be out for most of the day, so the torture she was planning likely wouldn't start until she got back.

All the more reason to intercept her before she left, so he could actually ask her for help. Maybe it'd convince her to postpone whatever torment she had in mind for him until a later time.

Impa was the first to leave, her private retinue of bodyguards waiting for her outside with horses. Sheik and Paya saw her off, waving until they lost sight of her among the village houses.

"A dispute in Hateno," Paya explained. "It's been building up for a while, but Aunt Purah finally had to ask mother to settle it once and for all."

Sheik hummed. "She won't be back before tomorrow, then," he said. "Unless she settles the dispute instantly and without hearing the parties out, it'll be too dark to travel back tonight."

And the idea of Impa settling an inter-clan dispute without carefully questioning the parts herself was just unthinkable. She was nothing if not thorough when it came to political matters. She was definitely not coming home that day.

One less obstacle to worry about, at least.

"Which means I hold supreme power until tomorrow," Paya said lightly, that twinkle in her eye returning tenfold. "We're going to have some fun."

Well, one less obstacle, perhaps, but Sheik suddenly saw a molehill in his path growing into a mountain.

Or two molehills, as Kiro would say.

"Right, the regular torture," Sheik said, suppressing a yawn. "Looking forward to it."

"Oh, me too," Paya said happily, leaving him at the doorway and heading for the stairs. "I'll be back around suppertime. I trust you'll be able to cook yourself something for lunch without burning the house down?"

"I'll try," Sheik said, too distracted to really add a joke. "Hey, Paya!"

She paused. "Yeah?"

"I...I need a favour. I have to—"

"Sure thing," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we'll talk about it when I get back, yeah?" She grimaced. "Don't give me that look."

"Sorry," Sheik said. "I just didn't expect you to agree so readily. You don't even know what the favour is."

"Don't need to," she said, running upstairs, taking two steps at a time. "If my beloved little brother needs something, I am there!" She disappeared into her room, returning a few seconds later with her pack crammed with art supplies and her gi for the afternoon training. "See you then!"

She was out the door and gone before Sheik could say anything else, running down the street towards Pikango's house.

Only when Sheik had crawled back up to his room and into his futon in an attempt to get at least a few hours of sleep, did he realise how menacingly happy Paya's tone had been.

Which meant that he was in big, big trouble.

It was a good thing he was exhausted, otherwise he wouldn't have fallen asleep at all.

* * *

He slept through the morning and afternoon, waking up only as the sun was beginning to set, colouring his room a bright orange that slowly faded into pink. He opened his eyes blearily to the sound of footsteps downstairs. Several sets, in fact. Paya must have brought someone home. They were oddly quiet, but maybe that was to let Sheik sleep.

He frowned. That was...uncommonly nice of her. Or that delinquent gang she called friends.

He had only managed to drag himself out of his futon by the time he heard the footsteps coming upstairs. He expected hearing them disappear into Paya's room...which would've been a disaster because that'd mean Paya would be busy for the rest of the night and unable to help him.

"So much for that favour," he muttered.

To his surprise, there was a knock at his door.

"Sheik?" Paya's voice asked through the shoji. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"Can I open the door?"

Sure."

She slid it open a little, only enough to reveal her face. "So, about that favour you were going to ask me for," she said.

"Oh, yeah, I—"

"No need to explain," she said. "You want to apologise to Link, right?"

"Uh...right."

His sister was apparently a mind reader. He'd have to be on guard against that.

"Well, I have an idea on how to make that happen," Paya said, grinning ominously. "Mother's stationed extra guards around the guest house, so we'll have to sneak you in somehow."

"Y-Yeah," Sheik said. "I've been trying to figure it out, but—"

"While sleeping?" she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well, you do a lot of your thinking in a state best described as half-aware anyway, so—"

"Hey!"

She grinned. "Just joking, little brother. Anyway, I had a moment of divine inspiration, and I came up with the perfect idea."

Wait, divine...?

"Do you trust me?" she asked, interrupting his train of thought.

"Not really."

"Fine, guess you don't want my help." She made to close the door, but Sheik's cry stopped her.

"Wait! I was just kidding! Yes, of course I trust you. You're my sister!"

"And you'll trust me to do whatever I believe is the best way to get you inside the guest house while mother is away?"

"I...er...yes."

"Excellent," Paya said, sliding the door open all the way, revealing a small army of her friends standing behind her, all carrying various articles of clothing and tiny little boxes that Sheik recognised as their...their...

Realisation struck him, and he felt nothing but horror.

"No, no, absolutely not!" he shouted as they filed into his room, all bearing the same evil grins.

"There is no escape, little brother," Paya said in a cheerful tone that clashed horribly with the look of sadistic joy on her face as she closed the door behind her, advancing on him. "Just let it happen..."

Sheik screamed.


	6. Chapter 6

From a distance, a passer-by would see something strikingly normal. A group of young Sheikah girls, nine of them, all dressed up in their finest kimonos, talking and giggling amongst themselves as they followed the path up to the village guest house. Every now and then one of the girls said something that had the others gasp in horror at the audacity or blushing and giggling even louder.

A passer-by would assume they were on their way to see a visitor staying at the guest house. They would not be surprised to hear they were there because one of the visitors was an exceedingly handsome young man who already had half the village wrapped around his little finger with his dashing smile and incredibly polite demeanour, as well as a very inquisitive mind, taking an interesting in everyone he met.

The girls were at that age, the passer-by would think, maybe chuckling a little to themselves, remembering their own youthful adventures. They'd wish the girls well and good luck, hoping their night would be a pleasant and memorable one.

They would _not_ notice that one of the girls, the one in the very middle of the group, was not nearly as chatty as the others. That girl kept her head down, only responding with single syllable responses when prompted by the others, doing her best not to draw attention to herself.

Coincidentally, she also happened to be the prettiest of them all. Perhaps that was why she was at the very centre of a cluster of already very beautiful girls. Like a singularity, she drew more beauty to herself, but remained the most breath-taking.

Sheik was not happy to be that girl.

He kept his head down, mostly because he had a feeling the vicious scowl on his face would ruin the disguise.

He was wearing an admittedly very beautiful kimono, made mostly of white fabric with red details and embroidered Sheikah eyes on the long, flowing sleeves. Granted, they were handy for hiding weapons in, which was more than could be said for his own kimono, which was a drab, boring and practical thing.

That said, these things prevented him (all of them, really) from taking very large steps, so their walk was more of a shuffle that the girls managed to make look very elegant and graceful while Sheik felt more like a drunken horse. Combined with the _geta_ on his feet that were taller than his usual sandals, he was amazed he hadn't tripped and fallen yet.

"Don't grimace so much," Paya said quietly from directly behind him, having taken the position of his rear-guard. "You'll ruin the makeup."

"Can't believe I let you talk me into this," he hissed through lips painted bright red. His cheeks had been coloured to a pleasing (according to the girls) blush, as well. His eyes were shadowed red and lined with black to make them stand out.

"Please, this is nothing but an improvement," Paya said, sounding smug. "How's the wig?"

"Hot," he replied, fighting the urge to reach up and scratch where the silver-coloured fake hair felt like it had been glued to his head to cover up his unique, blonde tresses. He didn't much like wearing the braided wig, but deep inside he had to admit it felt nice to not stick out of a group of fellow Sheikah like a sore thumb.

His hand rose unbidden to scratch. Paya slapped it away.

"Don't," she warned. "You'll make it crooked."

"Could be a new-fangled style?" he tried.

"A new-fangled style that gets you placed under house arrest for the rest of your life."

"Hn," he grunted. He couldn't stand another week being confined to the house, much less a lifetime. He gritted his teeth and bore with the hot and itchy wig.

Instead, he smoothed the front of his kimono and straightened the sleeves. Wouldn't do to look dishevelled.

Not that he cared.

He didn't.

As he smoothed the front of the kimono once more, he recalled the very serious discussion about his assets. Or lack thereof, as it were. There had been a very passionate argument about how some men liked small chests, and that wasting time trying to create a bust for Sheik was pointless. Others had argued that being small was one thing, but downright _flat_ would surely draw suspicion.

"If I catch any guards looking at my chest, I'll kill them," Sheik had said, patiently letting one of the girls—Riza, he believed—paint his nails as bright a red as his lips.

That had been as good a solution as any, they had supposed. Besides, it would be the correct thing to do. Impa tolerated no indecency among the village guards. They would keep their eyes to themselves and away from the bosoms of maidens.

"We're coming up on the guest house," Mana, the vanguard of this little endeavour, said from the head of the group. "Sheik, be quiet."

"Why?" he asked.

She gave him a look of disbelief. "They'll recognise your voice, idiot."

"What if I talk like this?" he said, raising the pitch of his voice to what he thought he might sound like as a girl. Based on the grimaces and looks of horror he got in return, it was probably not a very pleasant voice.

"Sheik, for all that is good and holy in this world, _never_ speak like that again," Paya said gravely. "Just...shut up for five minutes, please."

Might as well tell me to take a vow of silence, Sheik thought, but did his best to clamp his mouth shut anyway. This really was his only chance, and while he wasn't happy about this method of infiltration (mostly anyway), he'd do his best to make it work.

"Remember, just act all shy and virginal," Riza said. "Like the thought of just seeing his smile makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, and makes you want to kiss him."

It _did_ make him feel warm and fuzzy, thinking of Link's smile, but fuck if he was about to admit to that. He had a friendship to create here!

How the hell had she even known?

Eugh, and that part about the kiss...

Ridiculous.

Friends didn't kiss, especially not friends appointed by destiny and a Goddess.

However, as they reached the steps up to the guest house, Sheik did realise he was suddenly wondering what kissing Link would be like. Unbidden, something Kiro once told him came to mind.

"Everyone's lips are different," Kiro had said. "They're like a fingerprint. Wonderful and unique."

What would Link's be like?

Damned Kiro.

And damned Riza and her mind infiltration abilities! She always did this—planted little seeds of distraction in people's heads and walked away laughing as they tore themselves to pieces over that one little thing they couldn't get off their minds.

He was about to tell her just where she could stick her virginal act when Paya jabbed him in the lower back, hissing. They were within earshot of the guards, now.

"Halt," one of the guards said, holding out his hand. As if it'd help if the girls—all trained—decided to rush him. He'd be dead in seconds. "What are you all doing here?" he asked.

As one, like a practised routine, the girls all giggled and looked away, leaving Mana (as the oldest and most composed) to speak for them.

"We heard Link-san is feeling a little lonely," she said, pausing and hesitating at all the right points. Sheik couldn't see her face, but he knew she was faking a blush. A superb actress. "We thought we'd see if he wanted some company."

The girls giggled coquettishly again, hiding their faces behind their sleeves or the delicate fans they carried.

Well, they _appeared_ delicate, anyway. Sheik knew for a fact that a few of them were lined with razor-sharp blades. One never knew when a target needed to be seduced and then eliminated.

He ducked his face behind his own fan, cheeks burning from the sheer embarrassment he was feeling at being caught up in this act.

The guard looked doubtful. "Ravio-san has been turning away visitors all week," he said. "I'm not sure he will make an exception for you, either."

Sheik blinked. Turning away people? All week? Why? Was Link feeling poorly?

"Then there is no harm in trying, is there?" Mana said, jutting her hip just a little out to the side that caught the guard's attention immediately. "At least let us go say hello..."

"I don't know," the guard said, looking to his fellows (four in all), who looked equally flustered in the face of some of the most beautiful girls in the village, dressed up to the nines.

Only a moment or so later did Sheik realise he'd just counted himself among them.

He'd have to examine that thought later.

"It's all right, Borin," Paya said, stepping out from among the group. Her cheeks were bright red, and not just from the make-up. Sheik couldn't help but gape a little. Since when had his sister gotten so good at pretending to be a blushing maiden? "I will take full responsibility if something goes wrong. Please, let us see Ravio-san and have him decide."

She even bowed.

Poor Borin didn't know what to do with himself, having a village heir bowing to him like this...especially not when dressed in the most beautiful kimono she owned.

"I...er...very well, P-Paya-dono," he said, bowing his head in deference, but his tone speaking volumes. She was supposed to be an example, not an accomplice.

"Thank you, Borin," she said with a brilliant smile. "Oh, and my mother doesn't need to know about this, yes?"

She gave him no time to answer, ushering the girls (and Sheik, because he was not a girl, not in any way) past the guards who could only look dumbfounded as they trotted up to the guest house doors.

Sheik swore he could hear one of the guards mutter under his breath, "Lucky bastard..."

"One obstacle down," Riza muttered.

They climbed the steps to the doors, and Mana stepped forward to knock loudly on the frame before sliding the doors open, allowing them to enter the main hall.

The lanterns were lit, but otherwise the place looked dead, the silence nearly oppressive. Paya shut the doors behind them, adding another rapid series of knocks in case the first hadn't been heard.

Sheik's eyes narrowed as he heard shuffling footsteps quickly approaching them from the wing that house the two brothers, the form of Ravio appearing from the darkened hall. He was dressed in Sheikah robes, his hair—which was usually hidden by that strange green hat of his—pulled up into a high ponytail in the fashion that the children of the village usually did.

It was indescribably cute, the only thing marring the sight being the suspicious frown on the boy's face as he regarded the group, though it lessened somewhat when he spotted Paya.

"Paya-dono," he said, bowing. The chibi got it perfect. "What can I do for you?"

"Ravio-san, good evening," Paya said, smiling at him. Around him, there were the sounds of delighted cooing at the sight of Ravio dressed in Sheikah garb, so Sheik clearly wasn't alone in finding him adorable. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Ravio said, scanning the faces of each of the girls. He paused when his gaze landed on Sheik.

For a moment. For one glorious moment, Sheik thought Ravio wouldn't notice.

The slight twitch in the corner of his eye was all Sheik needed to see to know he'd been caught.

"Sheik-dono," Ravio said, his voice just a little bit colder, "I thought you were grounded?"

Sheik's face fell, looking down at his kimono, his fan, his whole disguise. He'd been so elegant, damn it! Next time he'd do an even better job!

"How the hell did you know?" he asked.

Which was apparently hilarious enough for the girls to start laughing around him. Ravio looked somewhat amused, but his eyes never left Sheik's, who felt like he was being carefully analysed and judged.

"I always know," Ravio said after a moment, the corners his lips lifting in what _appeared_ to be a smile, but for all Sheik knew could be the mask of Death itself. It was terrifying to behold, and Ravio only took mercy on him after a few seconds, gesturing to his face. "I recognised your eyes."

Oh.

Well, that was better than Ravio being some sort of shinigami, Sheik supposed, but...

"What are you doing here?" Ravio asked, with no small amount of challenge in his voice. The question was meant for Sheik, and only Sheik. The girls had withdrawn, pulling back a little.

"I came to apologise to Link-san," Sheik said, putting as much honesty as he possibly could behind it. Because it was the truth. "My behaviour in the dojo was dishonourable. Your brother did not deserve the abuse I hurled at him."

"No, he didn't," Ravio said, nodding. "I don't think my brother wants to see you right now, Sheik-san."

"Please," Sheik said, stepping forward...with small steps, because damn these kimonos were not very practical when it came to movement. "I only need a moment of his time. Let me apologise, and if he still wants me gone, I'll leave."

Ravio crossed his arms, giving it some thought with an expression that looked just a little too mature to belong on the face of a child. It disappeared as soon as it appeared, the boy nodding slowly.

"You'll leave him alone if he says to?" Ravio asked. "No more following him around? No more spying? No more _peeking_?"

The last part was said with a very deliberate emphasis, and Sheik was suddenly very glad for the make-up concealing the blush which immediately rose to his cheeks, knowing exactly what Ravio was referring to. The hot spring incident and what Sheik had seen during it had haunted his dreams to no small degree in the past week.

Behind him, he heard Paya make a confused noise, which he firmly ignored. She could never know he'd peeked on the bath. It didn't matter that it had been the men's side. He'd never live it down, and she'd use the ammunition viciously.

"None of that," Sheik confirmed, his face growing hotter still. "I promise."

"Do you swear?" Ravio asked.

"On my honour as a Sheikah, and my very life," Sheik said immediately, a little surprised at how effortlessly the words had come to him.

The Hylian frowned a little deeper, but eventually nodded slowly. "Fine, you can see him. But you'd better keep your promise. Or I'll deal with you myself."

Why did that sound so ominous? It was like a death threat.

Then again, there was clearly more to Ravio than met the eye, under the innocent exterior. Nothing malicious, as far as Sheik could tell—when it wasn't aimed at him, at least.

Looking back, honestly, perhaps Sheik's suspicions should've been directed at Ravio this whole time.

"Thank you, Ravio-san," Sheik said, giving the kid a smile he knew was at least half-crooked from the mortal fear he'd felt just now.

"You know where his room is," Ravio said, stepping out of Sheik's way.

Sheik nodded, heading for the corridor. As he walked past Ravio, the kid hummed, and muttered quietly so only Sheik could hear:

"Don't do anything gross."

Sheik paused, intending to ask Ravio what the hell that meant, but the kid was already surrounded by the girls, who were asking him if he wanted to play. He enthusiastically agreed, no trace of his earlier seriousness remaining.

Were all Hylians like this? Mysteries wrapped in enigmas, with more layers than an onion?

Nah, couldn't be. Other Hylian visitors (traders for the most part) had been anything but complex. Sheik had sussed out _their_ motives right away. Greed, mostly. Some of them came to the Sheikah villages under the assumption the red-eyed folk were savages with no understanding for the finer points of commerce.

They usually left very humbled.

Or tied up and thrown over the back of their horse, gently led down to the foot of the mountain and told in no uncertain terms never to return.

Sheik found himself outside the door to Link's room much sooner than he'd wanted. He could see the Hylian's shadow through the shoji door, cast by a lit lantern inside his room. He was reading, apparently, if the hunched over position was any indication.

Sheik's heart was thumping faster and faster in his chest as he stared at the door—a wafer thin sheet of wax paper and brittle wood—that separated him from Link.

He raised a hand and curled it into a fist, intending to knock on the door frame. He hesitated.

What was he even going to say? He hadn't thought this far ahead, assuming his disguise would be seen through by the guards. They'd fallen for it easily, and after that had been the unnerving conversation with Ravio, and now Sheik found himself without a prepared script. Link might not even be interested in hearing him out in the first place, and that would probably not change if all Sheik had to offer were half-muttered and hesitant words that conveyed no meaning whatsoever.

"Shit," he whispered.

A little too loud, unfortunately, as Link's shadow immediately shifted, his head lifting.

"Ravio?" he asked. "Is that you? What's wrong?"

"Uh..." Sheik wanted to run. Knew this was the time to do so. But his body refused to move, even as Link's shadow stood up and grew smaller and clearer as he got closer to the door.

Now was the time to act. To do...anything, really. But no, Sheik could only stand there, dumbfounded and stupefied as the door slid open, revealing Link, who was also dressed in Sheikah robes. His hair was loose, the shockingly blonde tresses almost reaching his shoulders in length. It made him look a little younger, more vulnerable.

He'd almost look peaceful, even, if it weren't for the bags under his eyes, suggesting a lack of sleep.

"Um..." Link said, looking Sheik up and down. The gaze felt like it penetrated every layer Sheik was wearing, and it was a good thing the kimono hid his legs from view, otherwise Link might have spotted the minute shaking in his knees.

What was he even supposed to say?

"Hey, I dressed up like a girl to come see you and apologise for being such a tit. Mind if I come in?"

Nah, that wouldn't work. He was about to improvise a greeting when Link beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, miss," he said, blushing a little as his gaze kept dipping away from Sheik's face. "I'm afraid you have the wrong roo—"

Link's words caught up with Sheik's brain.

Hell no!

"Miss?!" he exclaimed, surprising Link and making the Hylian take a step back, holding the book he'd been reading up as a shield. "Who the hell are you calling miss, you bastard?!"

Link's eyes were wide, his face utterly confused. "Sh-Sheik?" he asked incredulously.

"Damn right it's me!" Sheik said, shuffling over (fucking kimono!) over to stand directly in front of Link, glaring slightly up at him (taller bastard Hylian!). "Call me miss again! I dare you!"

Link held his book higher, as if it would protect him from the red-hot fury Sheik felt blazing in his chest. How dare this bastard assume that he was a—

"I'm sorry!" Link shouted. "It's just...you're...you're so pretty!"

Sheik paused, the red-hot furnace in his chest extinguished in a moment, replaced a smouldering glow in the pit of his stomach.

I'm...pretty? he wondered. Hmph, well, of _course_ he was pretty. That was the whole point of this disguise! And it was only natural Link would think he was a girl—because Sheik was a damned master of disguise!

"Hmph, well," he said, stepping back and trying to keep a small, pleased smile off his face. "That was the whole point of this thing," he said, gesturing to his clothes. "And this," he added, pointing at his face.

"And the wig?"

"Yeah, that too."

Link took in the sight of him once more. Again, it was like his eyes sliced right through the heavy fabric of his kimono, exposing him.

"Well...it's a very good disguise," Link said, cheeks red. "I thought for sure you were someone else. I have to say, though, I prefer you with your natural hair."

Caught off-guard by the praise, Sheik looked away, unconsciously adjusting the sleeve of the kimono. "Yeah, well...thank you," he said finally.

Link liked his hair?

"Not to be rude," Link said, breaking him out of his thoughts, "but...why are you here? Dressed like this?"

Shit, he was here for a reason, wasn't he?

"Was the only way to get inside the guest house," he said, gesturing in the vague direction of the entrance. "I'm under house arrest and strict orders not to go near you, so the guards would've stopped me. This was Paya's idea." Again, he gestured to his outfit.

"Huh," Link said, taking the sight of Sheik in for the third time, still blushing like a fool. The fire in Sheik's stomach grew a little hotter, but this wasn't rage. He wasn't sure what it was, actually. "And...you're here because...?"

"To apologise," Sheik said, clearing his throat and shaking his head in an attempt to make the strange feeling go away. It didn't work. "For what I said in the dojo."

"O-Oh," Link said, nodding. "I see. Well, I forgive you."

Sheik, about to launch into a tirade that he hoped at some point, in a flurry of words and half-baked metaphors, would convince Link to give him another chance at that divine friendship, was thrown entirely off his track.

"Huh?" he asked.

"I, er, forgive you?" Link said again, hesitantly. "That's...what you want me to do, right?"

"Well, yeah," Sheik said. "Wait, no! Not like that! You're supposed to be angry and pissy with me, and then I talk all eloquently and shit and convince you to give me another chance! Come on, you're supposed to scream at me, to tell me to get the fuck out of your sight!"

This was a trap. It had to be. No one was that easily forgiving of being accused of theft, conspiracy, and murder! No one! Not even the handsome Hylian in front of him!

...wait, handsome?

Link had stepped back again, once more raising his book shield to protect himself from a few flecks of spittle that flew from Sheik's lips as he shouted.

"I...don't know what to tell you?" Link said. "I'm not angry, and I don't really want to shout at you."

"Sad then!" Sheik tried desperately, waving at the door. "Your brother's been refusing visitors for you all week! You refused to see anyone! You were sad, right? Sad and angry about what I did!"

Link's expression became a little more withdrawn, but he gave Sheik the tiniest of smiles. "I...yeah, I was a little sad. At first. I didn't understand what I'd done to offend you so much, but I've been thinking about it this past week, and...you know, I don't blame you for thinking I was up to something."

Sheik's outrage deflated faster than a punctured octorok.

"What?"

Link lowered his book, and then himself to sit on the floor pillow, looking up at Sheik, purposefully putting himself in a disadvantageous position.

"Two Hylians show up at your village out of nowhere, are accepted as guests by your chief, and one of them spends most of time asking everyone he meets questions about you?" Link said, shrugging. "That's a bit weird. I'd be wondering too, honestly. And...I guess I came on a little strong when I chased you around."

More than a little discombobulated by the completely unexpected turn this meeting had taken, Sheik sank to the floor himself. This was going to be an equal thing, damn it!

Link looked closely at him as he carefully sat down on his knees, trying to avoid folding the kimono too much. Sheik pretended not to notice.

"I'd been spying on you all day," Sheik said before Link could continue. "Wasn't surprised you ran after me. Didn't expect you to catch up, though."

Link chuckled. "It's not the first time I've chased someone through a town," he said. "Or the first time I've been blinded by a deku nut, either."

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't worry about it," Link cut him off, waving a hand. "If anything, it made me feel a little nostalgic."

"Nostalgic?" Sheik asked.

"It's not really important," Link dodged. "Anyway, I'm not angry about that. And while I was a little upset about the things you shouted in the dojo, everyone was quick to assure me that they didn't believe any of it, so..."

Ah, so they'd immediately thrown Sheik to the lions, then. Fucking traitors.

"And, like I said, thinking about it some more gave me a little perspective," Link continued. "So, if anything, I should apologise to _you_ for unduly causing you to worry about the safety of your village and clan. I thought asking Impa-sama to keep our secret would be for the best...but I was wrong."

What the fuck was going on here? Link wasn't supposed to apologise. Sheik was! But what he'd said had him leaning forward, giving Link a small grin.

"Ah, so there is a secret?" he asked, feeling a little triumph. The smile on Link's face only made the furnace in his stomach grow hotter, though, as well as that damned blush that just wouldn't disappear from the bastard's face.

"Yeah," Link said, scratching his neck. "Just not the sort you'd think."

"I don't know," Sheik said, grinning a little wider at the thought of finally getting to the bottom of this farce. "I can think of a lot of things."

"Well, I can tell you, if you want?" Link said, a teasing lilt to his tone.

"You're not going to let me guess?"

"I think you could guess all night and still not get it right, I'm afraid."

"Hmph, and what makes you so sure of that?"

"Gut feeling," Link said. "I suppose the easiest way to sum it up is that...well, my brother and me...we're not from here."

Sheik raised an eyebrow. "No shit," he said before he could even think. "In case you haven't noticed, there aren't exactly an abundance of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Hylians around here."

Link laughed. "That's true," he conceded. "But that's quite what I meant."

"Do elaborate, please," Sheik said, now actually curious. The way he'd phrased it suggested they weren't from anywhere nearby, which could possible exclude Hyrule.

Link cleared his throat, his face turning oddly serious. "When I say that, I mean that me and my brother are...we're not from this time."

Sheik stared at him. "This...time?" he repeated slowly. "What does that mean?"

"Er," Link made a slightly frustrated sound, his eyes roaming around the room, ending up on his bag. They lit up as an idea came to him. "How much do you know about time travel?" he asked.

"It's physically impossible," Sheik said immediately, recalling the lessons. "And even if it weren't, it's not worth doing on account of the innumerable unknown variables and unpredictable shit that can happen." He paused. "Well, fucking magic could maybe make it happen, but why take the chance?"

Link looked surprised. "That was quick," he said.

"We enjoy theorising," Sheik said. "We're curious by nature. Spies and all that, you know?" He looked at Link's hands, which were fidgeting nervously. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uh...nothing, just a random thought, really," Link said, looking away.

Sheik gave him an unimpressed stare and frown. "You're the worst liar I have ever met," he said evenly. "Explain. Now."

Link sighed, looking immensely uncomfortable. "It's going to sound crazy," he said.

"I'm going to _go_ crazy if you don't tell me right now!"

"Okay, okay!" Link stopped fidgeting with his hands, only to start running his fingers through his hair, evidently needing something to do with his hands. "We're...we're not from around here. This place. Or this time."

Sheik gazed quietly at Link for several seconds as he tried to process what the Hylian had just said. Then he laughed.

"Are you...fucking...kidding me?" he said between wild snorts and chortles. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

Link looked offended, glaring at him. "It's true! Me and Ravio, we're...we're not from this time! We're from somewhere completely different! Well, the same, really, but different!"

Sheik forced himself to stop laughing, realising Link was being serious. This was bad. The guy was delusional. Or just very committed to lying badly.

"Okay, fun's over," he said. "The truth now, please."

"It is the truth!" Link shouted, surprising Sheik with his volume. "Why won't you believe me?!"

"Because it's impossible!" Sheik shouted back. "And I just told you why!"

"Well, you're wrong!"

"I'm never wrong!"

"The hell you're not!"

"Prove it!"

Without realising it, Sheik had shuffled closer to Link as they'd shouted at each other. And so had Link. Their faces were inches apart now, as they glared into each other's eyes. The light of the lantern made Link's eyes sparkle, the rage giving them a smouldering quality.

Sheik was too annoyed to notice, though.

"What?" Link said.

"Prove it," Sheik repeated.

"How would I do that?"

"You tell me," Sheik said, shrugging. "You're the one making the claim—burden of evidence lies with you."

Link looked furious, but an idea seemed to strike him after a moment. He shuffled away from Sheik slowly, grimacing before turning to his pack. No, not his pack. Ravio's. He opened it and reached a hand inside.

Sheik tensed up, suddenly very glad he'd stashed a kunai up one of the kimono's sleeves. Anything could happen now.

"I can prove it," Link said, still facing away from him. "I'm going to pull something out of the pack, all right? It's not a weapon."

"Hmph," Sheik harrumphed. "Get on with it. Slowly."

Link nodded and withdrew an object from Ravio's pack. It was about the size of Link's hand; a bulbous shape coloured a pale blue. Sheik recognised it right away.

"An ocarina?" Sheik asked, the tension releasing from his shoulders. "How is that proof?"

Wordlessly, Link handed it to him, tapping the base of the mouthpiece. Sheik narrowed his eyes at the Hylian, letting his gaze dart down to the gold-coloured detail and then back up to Link's eyes.

Wait a minute...

He looked down again, letting his gaze linger a little longer this time.

What.

The.

Fuck.

His jaw dropped as he stared at the perfectly moulded little band of gold around the mouthpiece, on which the Triforce had been emblazoned.

It took him several tried to get his mouth, lungs, and vocal cords to start cooperating again.

"This," he said, looking to Link for confirmation, who nodded.

"Yes," he said.

" _This_ ," Sheik repeated, more insistently, the palms of his hands growing sweaty at the thought of what he was holding.

"Yup," Link said.

Sheik took a deep breath.

"This is—!"

"Mmhm," Link hummed.

This was going nowhere very fast. Sheik carefully put the damned thing on the floor between them, scooting back a bit.

"Why..." he said slowly. "Why do you have this?"

Was a certain someone missing something very valuable in Hyrule at this very minute?

"It's not mine," Link said. "It's Ravio's."

Sheik considered that for a moment. "You know, that doesn't explain a damn thing," he said.

"Think about it for a moment," Link said placatingly. "Just...think."

Sheik did. The more he thought about it, the more his head began to hurt. But...slowly, he started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. And, frankly, it started to make a lot of sense. More sense than his own theories, shockingly.

Frowning, he asked, "Does my mother know?"

"She does," Link confirmed. "We asked her to keep it quiet because...well, you know."

No wonder she'd been so tight-lipped about it all. It was a hell of a thing to explain, that was for damn sure. And now Sheik felt like a complete idiot. Sure, he'd been right about something being off about these two, but he'd never dared imagine anything beyond his petty theories.

Wow, maybe I _am_ an asshole, he realised.

Then a thought struck him. "Does Paya know?"

If his sister had been told, and not shared it with him, he was going to be so pissed! Or maybe she'd been told and then ordered to keep quiet about it? But then, why hadn't Sheik been included? He was the clan heir too, damn it!

Link's cheeks turned red. "Uh, no, not as far as I know," he said.

"But..." Sheik frowned. "That doesn't explain why she was so cagey the day after you arrived! When we gave you the tour! She came back and wouldn't talk to me for days!" His eyes narrowed at the Hylian. "What did you do?" he demanded.

If he'd hurt Paya somehow...

"Nothing, nothing!" Link exclaimed, waving his hands, now the one scuttling away from Sheik until his back hit the wall. "I swear!"

"I have a knife, Link."

Blue eyes wide with panic, Link exclaimed, "I had to turn her down!"

Sheik paused, confused. "Turn her down?" he asked. "What're you—" He got it, grimacing. "Oh, Din above, no!"

Never had he felt a more visceral reaction of disgust. A full-body shudder went through him at the thought.

"I couldn't help it, okay?!" Link said. "It came out of nowhere and I didn't know how to handle it, so I just told her the truth! I didn't mean for her to get upset!"

Something snapped inside Sheik at the sound of that word.

"The truth?" Sheik said, the kunai dropping from his sleeve to his hand, fingers closing around the handle as if it were a lifeline.

"What truth? Does that word even mean anything anymore?!" he asked, voice rising to a hysterical pitch.

He waved the knife around, his breathing growing rapid.

It was too much. Too much information, too many horrible things to consider and imagine. This wasn't supposed to be possible! But it was! The proof was right there on the floor!

His vision was tunnelling, growing blurry.

"Hey," Link said, suddenly close, _too close_. "Calm down," he said quietly. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," Sheik growled at him. "Nothing's okay! Nothing will ever be okay!"

"Sheik, calm down," Link said, his voice even and steady as he came closer. "You're panicking."

" _You're_ panicking!" Sheik retorted.

Link was almost in his face now. Sheik's arm moved without his input, but Link was ready, catching Sheik's wrist with a firm but gentle grip. "Easy," he said. "You could hurt yourself."

Sheik glared at him but didn't struggle as Link carefully pried the kunai out of his hand, putting it on the floor and out of reach. Didn't really matter if Link had his knife or not. With the way things were going, nothing _did_ matter, apparently.

"The truth," Link said evenly, making sure to hold Sheik's gaze. "Is that there's someone else."

Sheik's heart grew tight. Why, he didn't know.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Who?"

Link smiled. "Guess," he said.

He didn't really give Sheik a chance to, his hand suddenly on Sheik's cheek. It was warm. Really warm. Or was that Sheik's face?

It was.

This was...unexpected. But not unwelcome, he realised.

So that's why his chest had gone tight.

"But...why?" Sheik said, the heat spreading from his cheek, to his chest, to the pit of his stomach where the furnace from before turned into a roaring crucible. "I'm...I'm a—"

"I don't care," Link said, smiling and leaning closer, his breath ghosting over Sheik's face. "I like you. So much." His hand reached up, pushing the wig off Sheik's head, revealing his blonde tresses. "You're so beautiful...perfect..."

He couldn't really fight it anymore. The strange feelings from earlier returned ten, fifty, a hundredfold. He felt unsteady, and the only thing that would help was...

Was...

He was the one to close the distance. Link's lips were soft and warm, and a little wet. The Hylian made a surprised noise, but quickly and eagerly returned the kiss. His movements were awkward, little more than pushing against Sheik's face, which spoke of a lack of experience.

Sheik reached up and put his hand on the back of Link's neck, pinching the skin lightly to draw his attention, then adjusting the pressure to a more comfortable level. He hummed in encouragement, urging Link to be a little gentler. Link eagerly accepted the correction, his other hand dropping the kunai to cradle Sheik's face, his thumb rubbing Sheik's cheekbone in an almost reverent way.

They separated, both breathless, but dove right back into it, humming and moaning quietly. Sheik opened his mouth, licking Link's upper lip quickly, causing the Hylian's breath to hitch at the unexpected and—hopefully—pleasant sensation. The sound as they separated was an obscene, wet pop, the Hylian leaning back to look at Sheik with wonder.

"You can...do that?" he asked, panting.

"It's...rather...encouraged," Sheik said with a loopy grin, eager to continue.

However, they were rudely forced back into the reality by the sound of stomping across wooden floors, and Ravio's angry voice from the corridors outside.

"Paya-nee! Can we go outside for a bit?!" Ravio's voice called out pointedly. "I'd like to play outside!"

Sheik supposed he'd failed the one condition Ravio had set.

They heard the girls' voices and their footsteps, and then the opening and shutting of the front doors shortly after, confirming that they were alone in the building.

Link's face was a very pleasant shade of red as his brother's voice brought them back to reality...whatever that had become.

A thought struck Sheik, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. His mouth moved before he could stop it, though.

"Is he even your brother?" he asked.

Link hesitated. "No," he answered.

Sheik laughed, feeling strangely giddy. The lack of oxygen was messing with him, clearly.

"Why am I not surprised? Nothing's simple with you two, is it?"

Link laughed too. "Guess not," he admitted. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Sheik said, huffing and putting his forehead against Link's. "I'll just have to take my time and figure out your secrets."

Like the contours of his shoulders, which Sheik's hands had come to grip. With a start, he realised he'd somehow ended up in Link's lap, straddling the Hylian. He made to move away, but Link's arms were suddenly around him, holding him in place.

"Please don't go," Link said pleadingly. "I've...wanted this."

Sheik couldn't help but laugh. "I was just trying to make you more comfortable."

"This is very comfortable," the Hylian said, almost pouting. "And...we're alone now." His hand slid down Sheik's sides, one stopping at his hip, the other drifting lower, lifting the hem of Sheik's kimono, carefully landing on his thigh. "Can I...?" he asked.

Sheik wasn't entirely sure that this was even real. All he knew was that he definitely wanted Link's hand there. It felt like it belonged. Each touch made more heat spread through him.

"Yeah," he said breathily. "Please."

Link smiled and kissed him again before carefully shifting his weight forward, laying Sheik on the floor.

"Are you sure?" Link asked, suddenly looking a little afraid. Inexperience was a scary thing.

Sheik smiled, leaning up and grabbing Link's collar to pull him down. "I insist," he said, before crushing his lips against Link's.

* * *

Morning came too quickly. Link was an early riser _by choice_ , it seemed, unlike Sheik, and he was altogether too chirpy as they sat in the guest house garden, watching the sky grow brighter as the sun began to rise.

Too soon, however, the quiet serenity was broken by someone blowing a horn in the distance. Link looked worried, but Sheik shook his head.

"It's the signal for returning riders," he explained. Then he realised what that meant, and now _he_ was the one to worry. "Shit, mother's back."

And much earlier than Sheik had expected. They must have left Hateno last night and camped out in the woods despite the danger it posed.

Eager to get back home, apparently.

Link swallowed heavily. "Does she...would she...?" he tried. "What do we...?"

"She'll figure it out on her own anyway," Sheik said, fighting down the dread. His mother was a fair person. Strict, but fair. Sheik had never heard her give an opinion on this, however. But, of all things, she appreciated honesty. "Might as well tell her," he added. "Worst case, she'll yell at me."

Link grimaced but nodded. "Okay, then. If you're sure."

Sheik nodded. "I am," he said. Then he hesitated. "Um...I really should apologise to your brother...Ravio...whatever he is to you, as well. He got caught up in my theories as well."

"Ravio's not mad," Link assured him. "Well, not anymore, at least."

That was a relief, at least.

The guards' eyes widened upon spotting Sheik emerging from the guest house, but Link's friendly wave stopped them from doing anything.

Frankly, Sheik's dishevelled appearance in his rumpled and inexpertly tied kimono, hair sticking out at odd angles and what he knew to be a very prominent hickey on his neck was probably the biggest reason for their worry.

And Sheik couldn't care less that it was visible.

"I'll be greeting my mother at the gate," He said simply as he passed the guards with Link in tow.

"Y-Yes, Sheik-dono," the lead guard said, looking to his fellows for help but only getting helpless shrugs in return.

"They're not going to get in trouble, are they?" Link asked worriedly.

"I'll try explaining it to mother," Sheik said. "Hopefully she'll focus on me and Paya working together on a brilliant disguise."

Then maybe his sister could take some of the heat too.

"It really was," Link said happily, his cheeks growing a little red again at the memory of the night before.

"I could tell," Sheik replied, cheeks equally warm.

They reached the gate just as they were opened, letting in the column of riders with Impa at its head. If Impa was surprised to see Sheik and Link standing together (and, honestly, Sheik's general appearance), she didn't let it show on her face.

She dismounted, handing the reins to a stable boy, and greeted the guards manning the gate, as she usually did after returning from a trip. Then, and only then, did she approach Link and Sheik. She definitely took in their appearances this time, but again her face revealed nothing.

"Link-san, good morning," she said. "I must say I am surprised to see the two of you together. Especially since I very clearly recall putting Sheik under house arrest and forbidding him from going near you."

Link looked like he'd been caught doing something he definitely wasn't supposed to, but nevertheless nodded and tried to give her an innocent smile.

The least convincing one Sheik had seen, honestly.

"Good morning, Impa-sama," he said, bowing his head. "Sheik-dono and I have...talked and settled our differences."

Impa's mask-like expression remained, but Sheik could tell she didn't believe that for a second. Any sane person would, honestly.

"I see," she said. "And I assume you have agreed to let bygones be bygones and begin anew?"

"More or less," Sheik confirmed, nodding.

Silence fell over the gate area as everyone held their breaths in anticipation of their chief's reaction to such a blatant lie being told to her face.

"Hmph," she harrumphed and marched past them, heading straight for her house. They watcher her until she'd disappeared among the houses.

"Well," Sheik said, turning to Link, "that went well."

Link gaped at him. "That was this going _well_?"

"Neither of us are dead, so yes," Sheik confirmed. "Now come on, I'm hungry."

* * *

Impa didn't emerge from her house until late that afternoon, wasting no time in summoning Link and Sheik, who'd found Paya and the others.

They hadn't explained everything that had happened, but it didn't take a genius to figure it out, apparently. Ravio had given Link a smile, and, while it hadn't been quite as warm, Sheik had also received one.

Almost felt like a blessing.

Almost.

There was still a hint of warning there too.

The two of them found Impa in the main room, dressed in a pair of her formal robes, gesturing to sit in front of her.

"I have taken some time to think," Impa said, looking between the two of them. "And while I certainly did not expect to come back to this, I find myself not entirely opposed to it. If anything, it saves me quite a bit of work."

She didn't have to specify what _it_ meant.

"Sheik," she said, focusing on him, "you defied my orders by leaving the house. You defied them further by seeking out Link-san. I cannot let such blatant disregard for my authority go unpunished. As of tonight, until I deem otherwise, you have a curfew. You may not stay out longer than till eight in the evening."

Sheik nodded. He'd expected something like this. He was the clan heir, but even he had to be made an example of in certain cases. He was lucky he was allowed to leave the house at all.

"Link-san," Impa continued, now turning to the Hylian, who gulped and straightened his posture. "Am I to understand that my son is now aware of the circumstances that led to you and your brother's appearance here?"

"He is, Impa-sama," Link said, nodding.

"And you are fine with this?"

"I trust him."

Impa nodded. "Good. Then I am happy to say that I have no objections. However, there _are_ rules I expect you to follow. It may not be a traditional union as such, but the courtship _will_ be. Is that understood?"

Sheik held back a snort at the sight of Link's face going from confused, to panicked, back to confused, and then to horror all in the span of a second or two. He'd clearly underestimated Impa's ability to take things in stride.

"Link-san, I need a verbal confirmation that you understand what is required of you," she said insistently.

"I...uh...I don't know how..." Link said, failing to find the words.

"I will teach you the steps personally," Impa said. "Have no fear on that account." She looked between them again, the smallest of smiles tugging at her lips. "He is my son, Link-san, and heir to this clan. You will treat him as such."

Link nodded quickly. "I w-will!"

"Good. Then I shall see you here tomorrow after breakfast. There is much to cover. You may go."

Sheik rose to his feet, pulling Link with him when he hesitated at the dismissal, and back outside.

"What did I just agree to?" Link asked, looking a little shocked.

"Lessons with my mother," Sheik explained. "You're going to have a great time. She's a very kind teacher."

"Really?" Link asked hopefully.

"Nope," Sheik said, grinning, pushing him so suddenly he nearly fell into a ditch.

"Hey!" Link cried as Sheik began to laugh, jogging away from him. "Get back here!"

"Gotta catch me first," Sheik called back as he headed for the nearest roof.

It was time for another chase.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
